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Glite Dictionary
to level up

to level up

4 4.8
To make a video game character stronger by gaining experience
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈlɛvəl ʌp/
  • Jargon
translation icon : subir de nivel
  • The more you defeat, the more XP you will get, and the quicker you'll level up.

It's overcoming that is in a, in a video game, It's levelling up, right?

Examples

  • As players gather nectar, they level up and gain additional attack combos.

    Blog text (17)

  • Each time you level up in FarmVille, you will receive one free Farm Cash until level 100.

    Blog text (18)

  • We're not trying to level up our characters here.

    Level Up (2011)

  • The ability to actually level up your equipment while training would be great!

    Blog text (13)

  • Let's level up and beat this final boss.

    Level Up (2011)

  • Of course, you will be able to earn experience points and level up to unlock new and even more powerful abilities.

    Blog text (31)

  • Many of the students have now tried most of the simple tools from the makerspace's startup days and are ready to level up in their learning.

    Academic text (2014)

  • Mobile advertising company Kiip, which gives gamers rewards when they level up or win, saw a 104 percent increase in interest.

    Blog text (20)

  • Starting from SR1, players can level up their Spartan Rank as they play in either Spartan Ops or War Games.

    Blog text (30)

  • In this game, you need to complete challenges to level up your character's abilities.

Synonyms

to rise
vsto level up
154 2.7

To move to a higher job or position

focuses on earned ability growth in a game character
to climb
vsto level up
146 2.2

Rise to a higher level, for example prices or numbers

means gaining experience to improve in-game abilities
to move up
vsto level up
43 2.0

Go to a higher place or level

is gained by experience to raise a character's abilities
to upgrade
vsto level up
23 3.6

To give someone a higher job or rank

describes earning ability increases through experience rather than promotion
to climb up
vsto level up
5 1.6

To rise to a higher position, for example at work or on music charts

happens by earning experience to boost a character's skills

Antonyms

to diminish
201 3.7

To become less in size, importance, or value

How Advanced

to evolve
591 4.0
to upgrade
23 3.6
to level up
  • Jargon
4 4.8

Surface Forms

level up infinitive
leveled up past
leveled up past participle
leveling up present participle
levels up third person singular

Morphology

level + up

The meaning 'to increase a character's abilities or rank' is directly derivable from combining 'level' (a stage or rank) with 'up' (to raise/increase). This simple increase-argument composition is cross-linguistically common and follows everyday usage patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents (and especially if they know basic gaming context) should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Level up comes from video games, where a character moves to a higher level or goes up after gaining experience. That move makes the character stronger, so level up now means 'to get stronger or raise your rank'.