variants
or levelling
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of leveling
The overhead cabinets feature a self-leveling design to keep contents from sliding or rolling around, allowing campers to keep all their dishes and provisions stored while driving.
—
New Atlas, 21 Jan. 2026
Albacete twice took the lead through Javier Villar de Fraile and Betancor, with Franco Mastantuono and then Garcia twice levelling for Madrid.
—Colin Millar, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Observers believe these could house electromagnets or components for self-leveling suspension.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Dec. 2025
With the puck deep in the San Diego zone and the Canucks threatening, Gulls defenseman Stan Stolberg crushed Nils Aman with a shoulder to the chest, leveling him.
—Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Dec. 2025
The union did get a win in repelling Canada Post’s attempt to implement dynamic routing in the urban unit and load leveling across both segments.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 23 Dec. 2025
The Eaton Fire ravaged the region, killing 19 people, forcing 100,000 residents to flee, and leveling nearly 9,500 structures.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 20 Dec. 2025
Federal officials charged a different person with defrauding Minnesota's autism program in September, leveling similar allegations.
—Joe Walsh, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2025
When the tiny home arrives, a semi-permanent setup is as easy as leveling the surface, hooking up utilities, and anchoring the home, if desired, which can be accomplished with the help of the builder’s team.
—Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025
New Atlas, 21 Jan. 2026
Albacete twice took the lead through Javier Villar de Fraile and Betancor, with Franco Mastantuono and then Garcia twice levelling for Madrid.
—Colin Millar, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Observers believe these could house electromagnets or components for self-leveling suspension.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Dec. 2025
With the puck deep in the San Diego zone and the Canucks threatening, Gulls defenseman Stan Stolberg crushed Nils Aman with a shoulder to the chest, leveling him.
—Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Dec. 2025
The union did get a win in repelling Canada Post’s attempt to implement dynamic routing in the urban unit and load leveling across both segments.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 23 Dec. 2025
The Eaton Fire ravaged the region, killing 19 people, forcing 100,000 residents to flee, and leveling nearly 9,500 structures.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 20 Dec. 2025
Federal officials charged a different person with defrauding Minnesota's autism program in September, leveling similar allegations.
—Joe Walsh, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2025
When the tiny home arrives, a semi-permanent setup is as easy as leveling the surface, hooking up utilities, and anchoring the home, if desired, which can be accomplished with the help of the builder’s team.
—Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leveling
Verb
-
Rodrigue said the community is balancing grief and frustration.—
Briseida Holguin,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
-
The Linghui e7 continues the approach with multiple motor configurations aimed at balancing efficiency and performance, CarNewsChina reported.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Hyaluronic acid, peptides, and botanical extracts provide pore-minimizing, firming, and line-smoothing properties.—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
31 Jan. 2026
-
This is a great day to take note of potential friction points and start smoothing them over.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Alcaraz is aiming to be the youngest ever to win titles at all four Grand Slams.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
1 Feb. 2026
-
The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.—
Staff Reports,
The Providence Journal,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Panama was the first Latin American country to join the global infrastructure drive in 2017 after dropping diplomatic ties with Taipei.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Also, the cold weather is forecast to get much worse from Sunday, with temperatures dropping even further and making the time frame for a pause in attacks hard to understand.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Crews are demolishing Westport infrastructure to construct an underground storage basin to hold water that previously would have flooded Westport buildings.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
26 Jan. 2026
-
On Thursday morning, crews were nearly finished demolishing the adjacent structures, one of which was damaged by a fire in March 2024.—
Thomas Gounley,
Denver Post,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Advertisement What’s more, equating darkness with evil and goodness with light may be a relatively recent invention.—
Veronique Greenwood,
Time,
21 Dec. 2025
-
Buyers are a 50-50 male/female split with Generation X equating for approximately 50 percent of all buyers.—
Eileen Falkenberg-Hull,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Many tech companies have spent recent years flattening their structure by cutting middle management at a record rate.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
23 Jan. 2026
-
By flattening hierarchies and empowering team members, leaders model the same transparent, participatory principles that underpin healthy democracies.—
Midhat Zwayen,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
WiiM’s products used to support the casting standard for iPhones and Mac, but no more.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
And, after months of casting rumors swirling on social media, Mendes finally revealed in 2025 who would portray the Fab Four.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Leveling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leveling. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
