leaky

[lee-kee]

adjective

leakier, leakiest 

1. allowing liquid, gas, etc., to enter or escape.

   a leaky boat; a leaky container.

2. Informal.,  unreliable.

   a leaky memory; a leaky tongue.

leaky

/ ˈliːkɪ /

adjective

1. leaking or tending to leak

Other Word Forms

• leakiness noun
• unleaky adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of leaky¹

First recorded in 1600–10; leak + -y ¹

Example Sentences

He said the Budget process was "too lengthy, too leaky, with real costs".

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A typical double-hung window—even a double-glazed one—is so leaky, and such a poor insulator, that if your home were a bucket, your windows are effectively holes in it.

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She wept in that tiny bookshop in Frankenforde, and rubbed the dirty sleeve of her fisherman’s sweater across her wet cheeks and leaky nose.

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If landlords can’t raise rents to cover their costs—including repairs, insurance and utilities—they won’t fix the leaky pipes or water heater.

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“They are the rare overlap of leaky attention, which allows them to pick up signals others miss, and strong discipline and willpower,” Popple says.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• broken 
• cracked 
• faulty