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

/ liːk /

noun

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

   2. such escaping or entering fluid, light, etc

2. to develop a leak

3. something resembling this in effect

   a leak in the defence system

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

5. a disclosure, often intentional, of secret information

6. the act or an instance of leaking

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

3. (intr) a slang word for urinate

Other Word Forms

• leaker noun
• leakless adjective
• nonleaking adjective

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of leak¹

C15: from Scandinavian; compare Old Norse leka to drip

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. take a leak, to urinate.

Example Sentences

The new cabinet, without the former deputy PM, author of a leaked letter on wealth taxes, might be more amenable.

From BBC

Max's privacy policy states it can pass information to third parties and government bodies, potentially giving access to the security services or making user data vulnerable to leaks.

From BBC

Residents of communities surrounded by flares and leaking wells, like Catarina, want the state and the industry to do more to control oil field emissions.

From Salon

And he points to the Scottish Greens as the party who could be most at risk of leaking votes.

From BBC

The government is unable to calculate the total cost of a secret relocation plan it set up following the Afghan data leak, the public spending watchdog has said.

From BBC

Related Words

• discharge 
• disclose 
• divulge 
• escape 
• ooze 
• pass on 
• reveal 
• spill 
• trickle