leaked; leaking; leaks
1
a
: to enter or escape through an opening usually by a fault or mistake
fumes leak in
b
: to let a substance or light in or out through an opening
The roof was leaking.
2
a
: to become known despite efforts at concealment
confidential information leaked out
b
: to be the source of an information leak
1
: to permit to enter or escape through or as if through a leak
The roof leaks water.
2
: to give out (information) surreptitiously
leaked the story to the press
1
a
: a crack or hole that usually by mistake admits or lets escape
b
: something that permits the admission or escape of something else usually with prejudicial effect
2
: the act, process, or an instance of leaking
3
sometimes vulgar
: an act of urinating
—used especially in the phrase take a leak
Synonyms
Examples of leak in a Sentence
Verb
The boat was leaking water.
The cracked pipe leaked fumes into the room.
Fumes leaked through the crack in the pipe.
Air leaked out of the tire.
Water was leaking through a hole in the roof.
Someone leaked the story to the press.
Noun
The boat had developed a bad leak.
The landlord said he would fix the leak in the roof.
a slow leak of the chemical
When a reporter revealed classified information, the source of the leak was investigated.
Security is high because of a fear of leaks before negotiations have been finished.
Recent Examples on the Web
Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
Also, testers reported that if it wasn’t placed properly, air would leak out, making an unpleasant farting noise.
—Simone Scully, Parents, 16 Apr. 2024
There were about 4,700 cargo containers sitting on the ship and some of them carrying toxic material, which is at risk of leaking out.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
Since the atmosphere-less Mercury has no rain or wind to carve the land, surface features like hollows can only be formed from other processes—such as the ground leaking volatiles into space.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024
Her verses are often sprawling and hyper-specific, like leaked messages from a group chat of close friends.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 Apr. 2024
The Calvert City facilities have been repeatedly fined for leaking air toxics since at least 2010.
—Lisa Song, ProPublica, 15 Apr. 2024
Line 5 has leaked 35 times in its roughly 70-year tenure, releasing a total of more than 1.13 million gallons of oil into the environment, according to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration database.
—Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 10 Apr. 2024
Last year, one Microsoft AI employee accidentally leaked 38TB of data via a bad URL, leaving Microsoft's AI models vulnerable to exploit or attack.
—Kate Irwin, PCMAG, 10 Apr. 2024
Elizabeth Marie Himchak, Rancho Bernardo, 17 July 2017
After checking ducts, evaluate all the windows and doors for leaks and cracks, and add new weather stripping if necessary.
—Cincinnati.com, 30 June 2017
If the container uses ice packs, it must be sealed and in a leak-proof container with the contents clearly marked.
—Cynthia Drescher, CNT, 27 June 2017
At 3:23 p.m., BGE had mitigated the leak, fire vehicles were leaving and the Sheriff's Office was preparing to reopen the road, Fire & EMS spokespersons Rich Gardiner and Jenn Chenworth reported on Facebook.
—Staff Report, The Aegis, 2 June 2017
Truth is being mean leaves more leaks in your camp than the titanic and I ..
—Christopher Rosen, EW.com, 21 May 2017
But strep also caused a leak in the BBB near the amygdala, the seat of fear and anxiety, and the lateral hypothalamus, where our sense of hunger begins.
—Pamela Weintraub, Discover Magazine, 29 Mar. 2017
For their part, Trump's aides look on many of those holdovers from the last administration with suspicion, blaming them for leaks.
—Tampa Bay Times, 20 Feb. 2017
Your Utility Company
In the event of a power outage or suspected gas leak, your utility company is better equipped to handle the problem than emergency responders.
—Kelly O'Sullivan, Woman's Day, 15 Feb. 2017
Verb
Ethics Committee Vice Chair Rep. Robert Sauls, an Independence Democrat, said that information from the investigation, which is supposed to be confidential, continued to be leaked publicly.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
Also, testers reported that if it wasn’t placed properly, air would leak out, making an unpleasant farting noise.
—Simone Scully, Parents, 16 Apr. 2024
There were about 4,700 cargo containers sitting on the ship and some of them carrying toxic material, which is at risk of leaking out.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
Since the atmosphere-less Mercury has no rain or wind to carve the land, surface features like hollows can only be formed from other processes—such as the ground leaking volatiles into space.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024
Her verses are often sprawling and hyper-specific, like leaked messages from a group chat of close friends.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 Apr. 2024
The Calvert City facilities have been repeatedly fined for leaking air toxics since at least 2010.
—Lisa Song, ProPublica, 15 Apr. 2024
Line 5 has leaked 35 times in its roughly 70-year tenure, releasing a total of more than 1.13 million gallons of oil into the environment, according to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration database.
—Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 10 Apr. 2024
Last year, one Microsoft AI employee accidentally leaked 38TB of data via a bad URL, leaving Microsoft's AI models vulnerable to exploit or attack.
—Kate Irwin, PCMAG, 10 Apr. 2024
Noun
Two houses in Rancho Bernardo’s Westwood neighborhood were evacuated early Monday afternoon due to a natural gas leak at a nearby home under fumigation.
—Elizabeth Marie Himchak, Rancho Bernardo, 17 July 2017
After checking ducts, evaluate all the windows and doors for leaks and cracks, and add new weather stripping if necessary.
—Cincinnati.com, 30 June 2017
If the container uses ice packs, it must be sealed and in a leak-proof container with the contents clearly marked.
—Cynthia Drescher, CNT, 27 June 2017
At 3:23 p.m., BGE had mitigated the leak, fire vehicles were leaving and the Sheriff's Office was preparing to reopen the road, Fire & EMS spokespersons Rich Gardiner and Jenn Chenworth reported on Facebook.
—Staff Report, The Aegis, 2 June 2017
Truth is being mean leaves more leaks in your camp than the titanic and I ..
—Christopher Rosen, EW.com, 21 May 2017
But strep also caused a leak in the BBB near the amygdala, the seat of fear and anxiety, and the lateral hypothalamus, where our sense of hunger begins.
—Pamela Weintraub, Discover Magazine, 29 Mar. 2017
For their part, Trump's aides look on many of those holdovers from the last administration with suspicion, blaming them for leaks.
—Tampa Bay Times, 20 Feb. 2017
Your Utility Company
In the event of a power outage or suspected gas leak, your utility company is better equipped to handle the problem than emergency responders.
—Kelly O'Sullivan, Woman's Day, 15 Feb. 2017
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'leak.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near leak
Cite this Entry
“Leak.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leak. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
leak
1 of 2 verb1
: to enter or escape or permit to enter or escape accidentally or by mistake
fumes leaked in
the secret leaked out
2
: to give out information secretly
leaked the story to the press
leak
2 of 2 noun1
: something and especially a crack or hole that lets something in or out usually accidentally
2
: leakage
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