leak

[ leek ]
See synonyms for: leakleaking on Thesaurus.com

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.

  1. any means of unintended entrance or escape.

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

  3. 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.

  1. to become known unintentionally (usually followed by out): The news leaked out.

  2. 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.

Idioms about leak

  1. take a leak, Slang: Vulgar. to urinate.

Origin of leak

1
1375–1425; 1955–60 for def. 11; late Middle English leken<Old Norse leka to drip, leak; akin to Dutch lek,obsolete German lech leaky. See leach1

Other words from leak

  • leaker, noun
  • leakless, adjective
  • non·leak·ing, adjective

Words that may be confused with leak

Words Nearby leak

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use leak in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for leak

leak

/ (liːk) /


noun
    • a crack, hole, etc, that allows the accidental escape or entrance of fluid, light, etc

    • such escaping or entering fluid, light, etc

  1. spring a leak to develop a leak

  1. something resembling this in effect: a leak in the defence system

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

  3. a disclosure, often intentional, of secret information

  4. the act or an instance of leaking

  5. a slang word for urination: See urination

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

  2. (when intr, often foll by out) to disclose (secret information), often intentionally, or (of secret information) to be disclosed

  1. (intr) a slang word for urinate

Origin of leak

1
C15: from Scandinavian; compare Old Norse leka to drip

Derived forms of leak

  • leaker, noun

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