level

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Relative position or rank on a scale: the local level of government; studying at the graduate level.
2. n. A relative degree, as of achievement, intensity, or concentration: an unsafe level of toxicity; a high level of frustration.
3. n. A natural or proper position, place, or stage: I finally found my own level in the business world.
4. n. Position along a vertical axis; height or depth: a platform at knee level.
5. n. A horizontal line or plane at right angles to the plumb.
6. n. The position or height of such a line or plane.
7. n. A flat, horizontal surface.
8. n. A land area of uniform elevation.
9. n. An instrument for ascertaining whether a surface is horizontal, vertical, or at a 45° angle, consisting essentially of an encased, liquid-filled tube containing an air bubble that moves to a center window when the instrument is set on an even plane. Also called spirit level.
10. n. Such a device combined with a telescope and used in surveying.
11. n. A computation of the difference in elevation between two points by using such a device.
12. adj. Having a flat, smooth surface.
13. adj. Being on a horizontal plane.
14. adj. Being at the same height or position as another; even.
15. adj. Being at the same degree of rank, standing, or advantage as another; equal.
16. adj. Being or relating to a specified rank or standing. Often used in combination: a lower-level administrator.
17. adj. Exhibiting no abrupt variations; steady: spoke in a level tone.
18. adj. Rational and balanced; sensible: came to a level appraisal of the situation; keeps a level head in an emergency.
19. adj. Filled evenly to the top: a level tablespoon of the medicine.
20. v. To make horizontal, flat, or even: leveled the driveway with a roller; leveled off the hedges with the clippers.
21. v. To tear down; raze.
22. v. To knock down with or as if with a blow: The challenger leveled the champion with a mighty uppercut.
23. v. To place on the same level; equalize.
24. v. To aim along a horizontal plane: leveled the gun at the target.
25. v. To direct emphatically or forcefully toward someone: leveled charges of dishonesty.
26. v. To measure the different elevations of (a tract of land) with a level.
27. v. To bring persons or things to an equal level; equalize.
28. v. To aim a weapon horizontally.
29. v. Informal To be frank and open: advised the suspect to level with the authorities.
30. adv. Along a flat or even line or plane.
31. level off To move toward stability or consistency: Prices leveled off.
32. level off To maneuver an aircraft into a flight attitude that is parallel to the surface of the earth after gaining or losing altitude.
33. idiom. (one's) level best The best one can do in an earnest attempt: I did my level best in math class.
34. idiom. on the level Informal Without deception; honest.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. An instrument for determining the plane of the horizon, or the plane perpendicular to the direction in which bodies fall under the action of gravity. The simplest instrument used for this purpose is the plumbline. This is now superseded for most purposes by the bubble- or spirit-level, which consists of a frame of some kind firmly holding a glass tube, closed at the ends, nearly filled with anhydrous ether, or a mixture of ether and alcohol, and having its inner surface on the upper part ground into the form of the outer part of an anchor-ring. Fine levels have besides a graduated scale either on the glass or on a metallic rule set against it, so as to mark the precise position of the bubble. Most fine levels are provided with a chamber so contrived that the length of the bubble can be altered. The spirit-level is usually reversed in use, and the mean of its two indications adopted. The spirit-level is an attachment of most geodetical instruments; and there is a special instrument called a level or leveling-instrument (which see).
2. n. An imaginary surface everywhere perpendicular to the plumb-line, or line of gravity, so that it might be the free surface of a liquid at rest. Every such surface is approximately that of an oblate spheroid, as the sea-level, for example, is; but for most of the purposes of ordinary life it is convenient, and occasions no sensible error, to confound this surface with its tangent plane at the point referred to—the plane of its horizon. The vertical distance from any given lower level (in the stricter sense of the word), A, to a given higher level, B, will vary with the latitude; but the work required to raise a given weight from A to B is everywhere the same. The level or horizontal surface is ordinarily spoken of as belonging to anything lying or moving upon it, or to a liquid whose free surface in equilibrium will coincide with a portion of it, and frequently indicates. in addition, some reference to some other object having the same or a different vertical elevation. Thus, we speak of the level of a station (often with reference to some standard of elevation), or of the level of the sea; a liquid is spoken of as finding its level; A is said to be on a level with B, or A and B are on a level or on the same level.
3. n. Hence Figuratively, degree of elevation as regards standing, condition, or action; a height reached or aimed at, from a social, intellectual, or moral point of view. The idea of comparison, relativity, or parallelism is prominent in this as in the literal signification of the word; and a natural or normal level is often spoken of, after the analogy of a free liquid surface.
4. n. An extent of land-surface approximately horizontal and unbroken by irregularities; a plain.
5. n. The point-blank aim of a missile weapon, including the line of fire and the range or distance the missile is carried without deflection; hence, purpose; aim.
6. n. In mining, a drift or nearly horizontal excavation made in opening a mine. Levels are run to connect shafts and winzes, so as to open and make ready for stoping a certain amount of ground. In a mine regularly opened on a permanent vein, the levels are usually from 60 to 100 feet apart, but vary in position with the varying richness of the lode.
7. n. A leveling-instrument. See clinometer-level and leveling-instrument.
8. Lying in or constituting a horizontal surface; not having one part higher than another; horizontally even or flat; not sloping: as, level ground; a level floor or pavement.
9. Lying in such a surface that no work is gained or lost in the transportation of a particle from any one point of it to any other; equipotential.
10. Existing or acting in the same plane or course; continuing without change of relative elevation; even with something else.
11. With reference to color, especially in dyeing, even; unbroken; uniform.
12. Equal in rank or degree.
13. Well-aimed; direct; straight; in a right line; conformable.
14. Steady; in equipoise.
15. Well-balanced; of good judgment: as, a level head.
16. Synonyms and Level, Flat, Even. In regard to the surface of land, flat is a depreciative word, indicating lowness or unattractiveness, or both; level conveys no slur, and is entirely consistent with beauty: as, flat marshes; level prairies. Flat is a rather more absolute word than level. That which is flat or level is parallel to the horizon; that which is even is free from inequalities: as, an even slope.
17. To make horizontal; bring into a plane parallel to the horizon, as by the use of a leveling-instrument: as, to level a billiard-table.
18. To reduce or remove inequalities of surface in; make even or smooth: as, to level a road or walk.
19. To reduce or bring to the same height as something else; lay flat; especially, to bring down to the ground; prostrate.
20. To reduce to equality of condition, state, or degree; bring to a common level or standing in any respect: as, to level ranks of society.
21. To direct to an object, in a particular line, or toward a purpose; point or aim.
22. To adapt; suit; proportion: as, to level observations to the capacity of children.
23. In surveying, to find the level or the relative elevation of by observation or measurement.
24. In dyeing, to make smooth and uniform. See level, adjective, 4.
25. Synonyms To raze, destroy, demolish.
26. To be in the same direction with something; be aimed.
27. To point a weapon at the mark; take aim: as, he leveled and fired; hence, to direct a purpose; aim.
28. To conjecture; attempt to guess.
29. To accord; agree; suit.
30. To work with a leveling-instrument; make the observations necessary for constructing a profile or vertical section of any line on the earth's surface, or for ascertaining the difference of elevation between two or more stations.
31. A corruption of levy.
32. n. The correction for level of an astronomical instrument; the deviation of its axis from exact horizontality.
33. n. In landscape-gardening, one of the horizontal surfaces in which an irregular piece of land may be arranged. By the use of different levels the designer may place various features of his design above or below the eye.

Wiktionary

1. adj. The same height at all places; parallel to a flat ground.
2. adj. At the same height as some reference; constructed as level with.
3. adj. Unvaried in frequency.
4. adj. Calm.
5. adj. in the same position as some thing, for example in a race or in a competition
6. n. A tool for finding whether a surface is level, or for creating a horizontal or vertical line of reference.
7. n. A distance relative to a given reference elevation.
8. n. Degree or amount.
9. n. In an Internet post, an indication of the number of previous replies at which a portion of text was written.
10. n. gaming One of several discrete segments of a game generally increasing in difficulty. Often numbered. Often, each level occupies different physical space (levels don't require any direct physical relationship to each other, e.g. vertically stacked, horizontally chained, etc).
11. n. gaming A periodic progression of integer values that quantify a character's experience and power.
12. n. A floor of a multi-storey building.
13. n. UK an area of almost perfectly flat land.
14. v. To adjust so as to make as flat or perpendicular to the ground of possible.
15. v. To destroy by reducing to ground level; to raze.
16. v. gaming To progress to the next level.
17. v. To aim or direct (a weapon, a stare, an accusation, etc).
18. v. sports, games To make the score of a game equal.
19. v. nonstandard, rare To levy.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A line or surface to which, at every point, a vertical or plumb line is perpendicular; a line or surface which is everywhere parallel to the surface of still water; -- this is the true level, and is a curve or surface in which all points are equally distant from the center of the earth, or rather would be so if the earth were an exact sphere.
2. n. A horizontal line or plane; that is, a straight line or a plane which is tangent to a true level at a given point and hence parallel to the horizon at that point; -- this is the apparent level at the given point.
3. n. An approximately horizontal line or surface at a certain degree of altitude, or distance from the center of the earth.
4. n. Hence, figuratively, a certain position, rank, standard, degree, quality, character, etc., conceived of as in one of several planes of different elevation.
5. n. A uniform or average height; a normal plane or altitude; a condition conformable to natural law or which will secure a level surface.
6. n. An instrument by which to find a horizontal line, or adjust something with reference to a horizontal line.
7. n. A measurement of the difference of altitude of two points, by means of a level.
8. n. A horizontal passage, drift, or adit, in a mine.
9. adj. Even; flat; having no part higher than another; having, or conforming to, the curvature which belongs to the undisturbed liquid parts of the earth's surface
10. adj. Coinciding or parallel with the plane of the horizon; horizontal.
11. adj. Even with anything else; of the same height; on the same line or plane; on the same footing; of equal importance; -- followed by with, sometimes by to.
12. adj. Straightforward; direct; clear; open.
13. adj. Well balanced; even; just; steady; impartial.
14. adj. (Phonetics) Of even tone; without rising or falling inflection.
15. v. To make level; to make horizontal; to bring to the condition of a level line or surface; hence, to make flat or even.
16. v. To bring to a lower level; to overthrow; to topple down; to reduce to a flat surface; to lower.
17. v. To bring to a horizontal position, as a gun; hence, to point in taking aim; to aim; to direct.
18. v. Figuratively, to bring to a common level or plane, in respect of rank, condition, character, privilege, etc..
19. v. To adjust or adapt to a certain level.
20. v. obsolete To be level; to be on a level with, or on an equality with, something; hence, to accord; to agree; to suit.
21. v. To aim a gun, spear, etc., horizontally; hence, to aim or point a weapon in direct line with the mark; fig., to direct the eye, mind, or effort, directly to an object.

WordNet 3.0

1. adj. not showing abrupt variations
2. adj. oriented at right angles to the plumb
3. v. make level or straight
4. adj. of the score in a contest
5. n. indicator that establishes the horizontal when a bubble is centered in a tube of liquid
6. n. a specific identifiable position in a continuum or series or especially in a process
7. adj. being on a precise horizontal plane
8. n. a structure consisting of a room or set of rooms at a single position along a vertical scale
9. n. a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
10. n. height above ground
11. v. become level or even
12. v. aim at
13. v. talk frankly with; lay it on the line
14. v. direct into a position for use
15. v. tear down so as to make flat with the ground
16. n. an abstract place usually conceived as having depth
17. n. a relative position or degree of value in a graded group
18. adj. having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another
19. n. a flat surface at right angles to a plumb line