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View synonyms for

leak

[leek]

noun

  1. an unintended hole, crack, or the like, through which liquid, gas, light, etc., enters or escapes.

    a leak in the roof.

  2. an act or instance of leaking.

  3. any means of unintended entrance or escape.

  4. Electricity.the loss of current from a conductor, usually resulting from poor insulation.

  5. a disclosure of secret, especially official, information, as to the news media, by an unnamed source.



verb (used without object)

  1. to let a liquid, gas, light, etc., enter or escape, as through an unintended hole or crack.

    The boat leaks.

  2. to pass in or out in this manner, as liquid, gas, or light.

    gas leaking from a pipe.

  3. to become known unintentionally (usually followed byout ).

    The news leaked out.

  4. to disclose secret, especially official, information anonymously, as to the news media.

    The official revealed that he had leaked to the press in the hope of saving his own reputation.

verb (used with object)

  1. to let (liquid, gas, light, etc.) enter or escape.

    This camera leaks light.

  2. to allow to become known, as information given out covertly.

    to leak the news of the ambassador's visit.

leak

/ ː /

noun

    1. a crack, hole, etc, that allows the accidental escape or entrance of fluid, light, etc

    2. such escaping or entering fluid, light, etc

  1. to develop a leak

  2. something resembling this in effect

    a leak in the defence system

  3. the loss of current from an electrical conductor because of faulty insulation, etc

  4. a disclosure, often intentional, of secret information

  5. the act or an instance of leaking

  6. a slang word for urination See urination

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to enter or escape or allow to enter or escape through a crack, hole, etc

  2. to disclose (secret information), often intentionally, or (of secret information) to be disclosed

  3. (intr) a slang word for urinate

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • leaker noun
  • leakless adjective
  • nonleaking adjective
  • ˈ𲹰 noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of leak1

1375–1425; 1955–60 leak for def. 11; late Middle English leken < Old Norse leka to drip, leak; akin to Dutch lek, obsolete German lech leaky. See leach 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of leak1

C15: from Scandinavian; compare Old Norse leka to drip
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. take a leak, to urinate.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

In early May, a 14-page leaked document circulated among aid groups and journalists.

From

And, after Saturday's round, he said making himself less available to some sections of the media is partly due to a story leaked surrounding his driver before last month's PGA Championship.

From

In 2017 several British newspapers printed details of leaked emails in which Beckham allegedly criticised the honours system and the honours committee.

From

After a cancer cell has been destroyed, the remaining chemotherapy drug will leak into the body.

From

A former CIA analyst who leaked classified documents about Israel's plans to strike Iran has been sentenced to 37 months in prison.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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