leakage

American  

[lee-kij] / ˈli kɪdʒ /

noun

1. an act of leaking; leak.

2. something that leaks in or out.

3. the amount that leaks in or out.

4. Commerce. an allowance for loss by leaking.

5. Physics, Electricity. the loss of all or part of a useful agent, as of the electric current that flows through an insulator leakage current or of the magnetic flux that passes outside useful flux circuits leakage flux.

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leakage British  

/ ˈliːkɪdʒ /

noun

1. the act or an instance of leaking

2. something that escapes or enters by a leak

3. commerce an allowance made for partial loss (of stock, etc) due to leaking

4. physics

   1. an undesired flow of electric current, neutrons, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      leakage current

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Etymology

Origin of leakage

First recorded in 1480–90; leak + -age

Example Sentences

No leakage of nuclear materials was reported, it added.

From Barron's • Mar. 21, 2026

Triggered by the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan, the meltdown in the reactors at Fukushima Daiichi led to radioactive leakage.

From BBC • Jan. 21, 2026

Hot dust interferes with this process by creating what researchers call "coronagraphic leakage" -- scattered light that can hide the signals of potentially habitable worlds.

From Science Daily • Dec. 17, 2025

What’s certain is that, to limit inevitable fuel leakage, these launches would have to be conducted quickly, within just a few weeks of each other.

From Slate • Dec. 9, 2025

The plutonium is inside a bunch of pellets, each one sealed and insulated to prevent radiation leakage, even if the outer container is breached.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Related Words

• discharge
• flood
• movement
• outflow
• progress
• stream
• tide
• wind