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.

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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

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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

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

"Honestly, sometimes the smell is so strong that it can still seep through the N95 masks. It hurts our throat and heads," Delos Reyes told visiting AFP reporters on Thursday.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

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

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

Oil seep hydrocarbons and oxygen-free mud protected not only bones but also delicate tissues such as skin and cartilage.

From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2026

I don’t want it to seep into my pants, into my pocket, and ruin my letter to Dr.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

Related Words

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