seep

verb \ ˈsēp \

|Updated on: 16 Jul 2018

Examples: seep in a Sentence

Definition of seep

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 consciousness
—Tip O'Neill

b : to become diffused or spread

a sadness seeped through his being
—Agnes S. Turnbull

See seep defined for English-language learners

See seep defined for kids

Examples of seep in a Sentence

Blood was seeping through the bandage.
The chemicals seeped into the ground.

Recent Examples of seep from the Web

Seeing that has already seeped into the mindset of players whose free agency is on the horizon, and created a climate around the team.

— jon meoli, baltimoresun.com, "How did this happen? Orioles players examine why this season spun out of control," 24 June 2018
It is entirely enclosed, without a drop of fresh air seeping into its midst, contained under metal domes.

— leslie kendall dye, Longreads, "City on a Hill," 23 June 2018
Weather-stripping or air filtration installed in the smoker’s unit may prevent the smoke from escaping and seeping into neighboring units.

— gary m. singer, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Ask a real estate pro: Neighbor's smoking is getting into my unit. What can I do?," 22 June 2018
Existential anxiety pervades the collection, seeping into observations about Halloween and cabin weekends and the naturalist William Bartram.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "Florida, Full of Dread," 14 June 2018
More specifically, a kind of seeping-dread horror familiar from the heyday of William Friedkin and Roman Polanski.

— tasha robinson, The Verge, "Ari Aster’s breakout horror hit Hereditary is pants-wettingly scary," 8 June 2018
Television footage showed a residential area in Okayama prefecture seeped in brown water spreading like a huge lake.

— NBC News, "38 dead, nearly 50 reported missing as heavy rain hits Japan," 7 July 2018
Television footage showed a residential area in Okayama prefecture seeped in brown water spreading like a huge lake.

— yuri kageyama, Fox News, "38 dead, nearly 50 reported missing as heavy rain hits Japan," 7 July 2018
Another cat was found with a seeping wound where his right eye should’ve been.

— vinny vella, Philly.com, "A Bucks County couple kept 31 cats in squalor. A new state law is helping prosecute them.," 7 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'seep.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of seep

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1790

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

seep Synonyms

seep

noun

Definition of seep

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 : seepage

—

seepy

play \ˈsē-pē\ adjective

Recent Examples of seep from the Web

The precious presence of water is a fickle one, requiring a micro-filtration device to eek out ounces rather than gallons from seeps and springs often frequented by wildlife.

— peter reese, Popular Mechanics, "4 Reasons Why You Need To Hike the Sonoran Desert," 2 May 2018
Protections also were added for methane seeps, undersea areas where the gas leaking out of the ocean bottom helps sustain sea life.

— hal bernton, The Seattle Times, "Conservationists, West Coast bottom fishermen embrace ‘grand bargain’," 16 Apr. 2018
Duke also agrees to pay an $84,000 fine for leaking polluted water from the ponds into the Catawba and Broad rivers. Draining the ponds is expected to eliminate or reduce those leaks, which are called seeps.

— bruce henderson and deon roberts, charlotteobserver, "Want to help speed up coal ash cleanup near Charlotte? Here’s how.," 9 Jan. 2018
Okoronkwo let his frustration with football seep into his schoolwork.

— bruce feldman, SI.com, "The Unlikely Rise of Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Oklahoma's Defensive MVP," 27 Dec. 2017
Detailing their results in the journal Environmental Health, researchers explain the chemical exposure came from the bitumen, which washes up to the Channel Islands from underwater seeps.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Drinking From Ancient Water Bottles Didn’t Hurt Indigenous People—Making Them Did," 29 June 2017
Detailing their results in the journal Environmental Health, researchers explain the chemical exposure came from the bitumen, which washes up to the Channel Islands from underwater seeps.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Drinking From Ancient Water Bottles Didn’t Hurt Indigenous People—Making Them Did," 29 June 2017
The Inupiat showed their visitors how wedges of tundra soaked with oil from seeps could be cut, hauled back to villages, and used as fuel.

— tim bradner, Alaska Dispatch News, "There’s rich history in Native corporation’s bid to become an oil company," 12 July 2017
Detailing their results in the journal Environmental Health, researchers explain the chemical exposure came from the bitumen, which washes up to the Channel Islands from underwater seeps.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Drinking From Ancient Water Bottles Didn’t Hurt Indigenous People—Making Them Did," 29 June 2017

First Known Use of seep

1824

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

SEEP Defined for English Language Learners

seep

verb

Definition of seep for English Language Learners

: to flow or pass slowly through small openings in something

SEEP Defined for Kids

seep

verb \ ˈsēp \

Definition of seep for Students

seeped; seeping

: to flow slowly through small openings

Water seeped into the basement.

Learn More about seep

See words that rhyme with seep Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for seep Spanish Central: Translation of seep Nglish: Translation of seep for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of seep for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about seep

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seep

Definition of seep

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Synonyms

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seep

Definition of seep

seepy

Recent Examples of seep from the Web

First Known Use of seep

SEEP Defined for English Language Learners

seep

Definition of seep for English Language Learners

SEEP Defined for Kids

seep

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