level

the placement of someone or something in relation to others in a vertical arrangement a young karate student ready to rise to the next level in his chosen art of self-defense Synonyms degree, echelon, footing, rank, place, position, ranking, reach(es), rung, situation, standing, station, status, stratumRelated Words condition, estate, order, walk; capacity, function; rating

1 to make equal in amount, degree, or status we'll give both teams the same equipment so as to level the playing field Synonyms balance, equate, even, equalizeRelated Words equilibrate, equipoise; accommodate, adjust, compensate, fit; counterbalance; homogenize, normalize, regularize, standardize; democratizeNear Antonyms disequilibrate

2 to make free from breaks, curves, or bumps the construction workers leveled the ground before laying a foundation for the new house Synonyms flatten, even, plane, smooth, smoothenRelated Words clip, crop, pare, prune, shave, trim; lay, press, spread; card, comb, rake; surfaceNear Antonyms coarsen, rumple, wrinkle; bend, kink; dent, pitAntonyms rough, roughen

3 to point or turn (something) toward a target or goal the marksman leveled his gun at the target and fired Synonyms bend, cast, direct, head, hold, aim, pinpoint, set, trainRelated Words sight; bear, face; concentrate, focus; incline, orient, steerNear Antonyms avert, curve, deflect, detour, divert, rechannel, shunt, sidetrack

4 to strike (someone) so forcefully as to cause a fall the boxer leveled his badly outclassed opponent with a single blow Synonyms bowl (down or over), down, drop, floor, knock down, knock over, fell, mow (down), prostrateRelated Words kayo, knock out, KO; overthrow, throw down, topple; bang, bash, belt, bludgeon, clobber, hammer, hit, jab, paste, poke, pound, punch, slam, slap, slog, slug, smack, smite, sock, swat, swipe, thump, thwack, wallop, whack, whale

5 to destroy (as a building) completely by knocking down or breaking to pieces an architectural gem that was leveled to build a parking lot Synonyms demolish, pull down, raze, tear down, unbuildRelated Words blow up, dynamite; abolish, annihilate, crack up, crush, dash, decimate, destroy, devastate, devour, dissolve, do in, eradicate, extirpate, finish, flatten, obliterate, overturn, pulverize, ravage, ruin, scourge, smash, total, unmake, waste, wipe out, wreckNear Antonyms build, construct, erect, put up, raise; rebuild, renew, renovate, restore; create, fabricate, fashion, forge, form, make, manufacture, shape