Synonyms of leveling

leveling

verb

variants or levelling

present participle of level

1

as in balancing

to make equal in amount, degree, or status

we'll give both teams the same equipment so as to level the playing field

Synonyms & Similar Words

• balancing
• equating
• adjusting
• equalizing
• compensating
• evening
• accommodating
• standardizing
• equilibrating
• normalizing
• counterbalancing
• fitting
• homogenizing
• democratizing
• equipoising
• regularizing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• disequilibrating

2

as in smoothing

to make free from breaks, curves, or bumps

the construction workers leveled the ground before laying a foundation for the new house

Synonyms & Similar Words

• smoothing
• flattening
• shaving
• planing
• raking
• trimming
• evening
• smoothening
• laying
• clipping
• paring
• combing
• cropping
• pruning
• spreading
• pressing
• carding
• surfacing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• roughing
• roughening
• bending
• wrinkling
• pitting
• denting
• coarsening
• rumpling
• kinking

3

as in aiming

to point or turn (something) toward a target or goal

the marksman leveled his gun at the target and fired

Synonyms & Similar Words

• aiming
• casting
• setting
• bending
• directing
• heading
• training
• holding
• focusing
• pinpointing
• steering
• facing
• concentrating
• orienting
• sighting
• inclining
• bearing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• curving
• deflecting
• diverting
• shunting
• averting
• sidetracking
• rechanneling
• detouring

4

as in dropping

to strike (someone) so forcefully as to cause a fall

the boxer leveled his opponent with a single blow

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dropping
• downing
• hitting
• toppling
• flooring
• smacking
• slamming
• slapping
• punching
• pounding
• felling
• bowling (down or over)
• mowing (down)
• prostrating
• banging
• knocking down
• knocking over
• overthrowing
• poking
• whacking
• thumping
• knocking out
• jabbing
• swiping
• bashing
• hammering
• smiting
• pasting
• slugging
• kayoing
• throwing down
• socking
• bludgeoning
• clobbering
• slogging
• KO'ing
• belting
• swatting
• walloping
• whaling
• thwacking

5

as in demolishing

to destroy (as a building) completely by knocking down or breaking to pieces

an old warehouse that was leveled to build a parking lot

Synonyms & Similar Words

• demolishing
• razing
• tearing down
• destroying
• pulling down
• unbuilding
• dynamiting
• flattening
• finishing
• overturning
• eradicating
• wrecking
• abolishing
• obliterating
• ruining
• pulverizing
• wasting
• decimating
• smashing
• ravaging
• extirpating
• wiping out
• dissolving
• annihilating
• devastating
• totaling
• blowing up
• devouring
• crushing
• unmaking
• doing in
• scourging
• dashing
• cracking up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• building
• constructing
• raising
• erecting
• restoring
• rebuilding
• creating
• making
• forming
• renewing
• shaping
• manufacturing
• putting up
• forging
• renovating
• fabricating
• fashioning

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of leveling

Auburn’s slate was more difficult, sneaking by Baylor (and former Gators quarterback DJ Lagway) 17-16 in Week 1 before leveling Southern Miss 43-8 last Saturday. — Noah White, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026

The fires destroyed much of Altadena and Pacific Palisades, as well as parts of Malibu, leveling more than 17,000 structures across those communities. — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Arsenal would have to wait slightly longer before levelling the match. — Jack Lang, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026

The school had a prominent billionaire booster, Tilman Fertitta, who was financially committed to leveling the program up. — John Talty, Vanity Fair, 2 Sep. 2026

In those cases, leveling the entire stove won’t solve the problem. — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 18 Aug. 2026

The 5-inch touch screen walks through networking, calibration, self-check routines, and bed leveling step by step, making the initial startup surprisingly painless considering the machine’s size. — Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 15 Aug. 2026

The game of golf has a funny way of leveling itself for certain players. — Jeff Hartman, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

In it, civilian Jordan Salinas is standing planted in a shooting stance, leveling a sidearm at Williams and pulling the trigger. — Idaho Statesman, 7 Aug. 2026