expression

level off

to stop rising or falling

In Phrasal Verbs

In more detail

1. (verb) to stop going up or down and become flat or stable

2. (verb) to reach a point where something stops increasing or decreasing and stays about the same

Examples

1. The airplane began to level off at 35,000 feet.
2. After rising for months, prices started to level off in summer.

How to use level off

Level off describes a transition point where an upward or downward trend becomes flat and steady. It is commonly used in business, economics, and technical contexts to indicate stabilization after change. It suggests a natural equilibrium or plateau rather than a deliberate halt, distinguishing it from sharper synonyms like 'stop' or 'halt'.

Common phrases

prices level off
growth levels off
demand levels off
level off at
begin to level off

Synonyms

plateau · stabilize · flatten out · reach a plateau · even out

Opposites

rise · fall · fluctuate

Word family

level (noun/verb/adjective) · leveling (noun/gerund)

A common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse 'level off' with 'level out,' though both are acceptable; 'level off' is more common in American English when describing a graph or trend reaching stability.

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