seep

American  

[seep] / sip /

verb (used without object)

1. to pass, flow, or ooze gradually through a porous substance.

   Water seeps through cracks in the wall.

2. (of ideas, methods, etc.) to enter or be introduced at a slow pace.

   The new ideas finally seeped down to the lower echelons.

3. to become diffused; permeate.

   Fog seeped through the trees, obliterating everything.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to seep; filter.

   The vodka is seeped through charcoal to purify it.

noun

1. moisture that seeps out; seepage.

2. a small spring, pool, or other place where liquid from the ground has oozed to the surface of the earth.

seep British  

/ siːp /

verb

1. (intr) to pass gradually or leak through or as if through small openings; ooze

---

noun

1. a small spring or place where water, oil, etc, has oozed through the ground

2. another word for seepage

Etymology

Origin of seep

1780–90; perhaps variant of dial. sipe, itself perhaps continuing Old English sīpian (cognate with Middle Low German sīpen )

Explanation

Seep means to leak slowly. When you see the word, imagine water coming in through your sneakers on a rainy day. It's not a lot of water, but your feet still get pretty wet. The word seep is related to the Dutch word for ooze. Oil seeps from the earth and blood seeps from a wound. Seep falls somewhere between gush and drip on a scale of how liquid flows and suggests a liquid that is thick, and unwanted. In the figurative sense, some things that seep, like bad thoughts that seep into your mind, are also unwanted. But sometimes you wish that the flow would increase like when financial aid only seeps into a disaster zone.

Example Sentences

Cutting back on expenses is harder, however, when higher energy costs seep into other prices.

From MarketWatch • May 12, 2026

The effects of wildfires, which fundamentally alter the lives of survivors, can seep into nearly every aspect of daily life.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

This so-called tic could seep into wider model training if rewarded in one instance and reinforced elsewhere.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

Still unclear is whether the U.S. role in the latest geopolitical conflict will seep into a higher risk premium for U.S. assets, including bonds.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

He wondered if the eidolons might just leave those bodies behind, seep underground, and possess one of them instead.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• bleed
• drain
• flow
• ooze
• percolate
• permeate
• soak
• trickle