seep

1 of 2

verb

seeped; seeping; seeps

intransitive verb

1
: to flow or pass slowly through fine pores or small openings : ooze
water seeped in through a crack
2
a
: to enter or penetrate slowly
fear of nuclear war had seeped into the national consciousnessTip O'Neill
b
: to become diffused or spread
a sadness seeped through his beingAgnes S. Turnbull

seep

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: a spot where a fluid (such as water, oil, or gas) contained in the ground oozes slowly to the surface and often forms a pool
b
: a small spring
2
seepy adjective

Examples of seep in a Sentence

Verb Blood was seeping through the bandage. The chemicals seeped into the ground.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Preliminary analysis by a team of UNSW researchers confirms that the tar balls originated from weathered oil, either from a crude oil spill or natural oil seeps from the ocean floor. Ellie Yuen, NBC News, 17 Oct. 2024 The inherent creepiness of the setting seeps into every frame of the film. Scott Phillips, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
Noun
If the acidic water from a seep reaches an alkaline river or stream, its pH will rise, and the iron will fall out as what miners would call yellow boy. Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2024 The volunteers eagerly started plucking and heaving the rocks down to the grassy seep, where Tucson resident Stacy Goodrich soon had her two teens, Kameron and Riley, pressing rocks into the mud. Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 20 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for seep 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'seep.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

alteration of earlier sipe, from Middle English sipen, from Old English sipian; akin to Middle Low German sipen to seep

First Known Use

Verb

1790, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1824, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of seep was in 1790

Dictionary Entries Near seep

Cite this Entry

“Seep.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seep. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

seep

verb
ˈsēp
: to flow or pass slowly through small openings : ooze

More from Merriam-Webster on seep

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