leak
Americannoun
-
leaks
plural
-
an unintended hole, crack, or the like, through which liquid, gas, light, etc., enters or escapes.
a leak in the roof.
-
an act or instance of leaking.
-
any means of unintended entrance or escape.
-
Electricity. the loss of current from a conductor, usually resulting from poor insulation.
-
a disclosure of secret, especially official, information, as to the news media, by an unnamed source.
verb (used without object)
-
leaks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
leaked,
past participle, past
-
leaking
present participle
-
to let a liquid, gas, light, etc., enter or escape, as through an unintended hole or crack.
The boat leaks.
-
to pass in or out in this manner, as liquid, gas, or light.
gas leaking from a pipe.
-
to become known unintentionally (usually followed byout ).
The news leaked out.
-
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)
-
leaks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
leaked,
past participle, past
-
leaking
present participle
-
to let (liquid, gas, light, etc.) enter or escape.
This camera leaks light.
-
to allow to become known, as information given out covertly.
to leak the news of the ambassador's visit.
idioms
noun
-
-
a crack, hole, etc, that allows the accidental escape or entrance of fluid, light, etc
-
such escaping or entering fluid, light, etc
-
-
to develop a leak
-
something resembling this in effect
a leak in the defence system
-
the loss of current from an electrical conductor because of faulty insulation, etc
-
a disclosure, often intentional, of secret information
-
the act or an instance of leaking
-
a slang word for urination See urination
verb
-
to enter or escape or allow to enter or escape through a crack, hole, etc
-
to disclose (secret information), often intentionally, or (of secret information) to be disclosed
-
(intr) a slang word for urinate
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
leaksimple
-
leakssimple
-
have leakedperfect
-
has leakedperfect
-
am leakingprogressive
-
are leakingprogressive
-
is leakingprogressive
-
have been leakingperfect progressive
-
has been leakingperfect progressive
Past
-
leakedsimple
-
had leakedperfect
-
was leakingprogressive
-
were leakingprogressive
-
had been leakingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of leak
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
Explanation
A leak involves the release of something. It can be a behind-someone’s-back leak of sensitive information, a leak from a milk carton, or a leak in the roof that lets rain water drip in. As a verb, leak means to allow light or fluid to escape, or to enter or escape as though through a hole. Light can leak in through the curtains, water can leak out of an almost-closed faucet, or information can leak to the press. A leak is almost always a bad thing — it indicates that something that should be contained has broken out or escaped.
Vocabulary lists containing leak
Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 6
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Simply Scandalous!
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Police have said five people have been hospitalised following the incident that was “strongly suspected” to be the result of a gas leak, and no suspicious substances or explosives have been found at the site.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
The unauthorized access happened after the most damaging leak of taxpayer information in the agency’s history, which had prompted a tightening of internal defenses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
Even extremely small vibrations or pointing errors could allow unwanted starlight to leak into an image and overwhelm the much dimmer planets scientists hope to detect.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
But sometimes the companies didn’t know about the leak and make a repair.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
He knew he was letting whatever advantage he might have won leak away again, playing back into Hooper's hands.
From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill
In recent years, it suffered a succession of leaks, with consequences ranging from limited to catastrophic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
A hemorrhagic stroke is less common than an ischemic stroke, but it is more fatal and occurs when a blood vessel leaks or ruptures in the brain, according to the Mayo Clinic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Instead, it leaks, gushes or wafts from landfills, oil and gas equipment and manure pits at dairy operations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
"Now it is raining and the tent leaks, so we've been facing a difficult situation. We have nowhere to go," said Ramesh Ghale, who also had to flee his home.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
The boat leaks, and they must bail in tandem to keep themselves afloat.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
Shinhan Bank, one of the breached institutions, said information attached to loan applications for about 25,000 customers had been leaked -- including names, phone numbers and annual income.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
The film focuses on the investigation that led to "The Facebook Files," a trove of statements and data leaked in 2021.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Prison governors in England and Wales have been warned against using unsafe cells to cope with overcrowding, according to documents leaked to the BBC.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Bonta abruptly canceled a negotiation session with Paramount in late August after potential deal terms leaked.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
It leaked through a narrow crevice between two smooth walls of rock.
From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins
He also had to fix a leaking roof.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
One TikToker documented how her carefully packed blocks melted by arrival, the chili-flavored butter leaking onto the strawberry and raspberry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
The military’s reasoning was that leaking some of the information about these interplanetary conflicts might reduce the shock to the public the day the real revelations came.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
Chelsea are free-scoring and their front-line is so dynamic - but they are leaking goals left, right and centre and they are a bit of a rabble at the back.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
But Tonya, back in the tail gunner’s compartment, was overcome by leaking fuel fumes.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
