leaky
Americanadjective
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allowing liquid, gas, etc., to enter or escape.
a leaky boat; a leaky container.
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Informal. unreliable.
a leaky memory; a leaky tongue.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of leaky
Explanation
Leaky things accidentally allow water (or gas) to pass through them. A leaky bucket is a bad thing, and a leaky diaper is even worse. A leaky hose lets water squirt out at different points, and a leaky helium balloon plummets to the ground, deflating as it falls. You can also talk about a leaky government, or a leaky newsroom — in other words, a group or a person guilty of exposing information that's meant to be kept secret or confidential. This kind of leak is a "deliberate disclosure of information," and it dates from the 1950s.
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.
The $1.3 billion frozen payment is a drop in the state’s leaky Medicaid budget.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
Still, the UBS analysts said, the repairs many homes need, like leaky roofs, have to be made.
From MarketWatch • May 11, 2026
The original hydrogel contained particles that were too large to effectively target damaged, leaky blood vessels.
From Science Daily • May 5, 2026
“It’s like you’re drowning. The lungs are leaky, so the fluid fills up in the lungs.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026
My eyes scan the plastic flowers near the sink, the faded wallpaper that Tía keeps telling her to take down, the wall clock shaped like a stopwatch, the teeny ants zigzagging near the leaky faucet.
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
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.
