leak

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Related to leak: Memory leak

leak

to allow the passage of a substance through a flaw: There is a water leak in the pipe under the sink.; a breach of secrecy: They leaked the story to the press.

Not to be confused with:

leek – a plant related to the onion with a slender bulb and dark green leaves

leak

(lēk)

v. leaked, leak·ing, leaks

v.intr.

1. To permit the escape, entry, or passage of something through a breach or flaw: rusted pipes that were beginning to leak; a boat leaking at the seams.

2. To escape or pass through a breach or flaw: helium leaking slowly from the balloon.

3. To become publicly known through a breach of secrecy: The news has leaked.

v.tr.

1. To permit (a substance) to escape or pass through a breach or flaw: a damaged reactor leaking radioactivity into the atmosphere.

2. To disclose without authorization or official sanction: leaked classified information to a reporter.

1. A crack or flaw that permits something to escape from or enter a container or conduit: fixed the leak in the roof.

a. The act or instance of leaking.

b. An amount leaked: equipment used in cleaning up oil leaks.

3. An unauthorized or a deliberate disclosure of confidential information: "Sometimes we can't respond to stories based on leaks" (Ronald Reagan).

a. Loss of electric current as a result of faulty insulation.

b. The path or place at which this loss takes place.

Idiom:

take a leak Vulgar Slang

To urinate.

[Middle English leken, probably from Middle Dutch lēken.]

leak′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

leak

(liːk)

a. a crack, hole, etc, that allows the accidental escape or entrance of fluid, light, etc

b. such escaping or entering fluid, light, etc

2. spring a leak to develop a leak

3. something resembling this in effect: a leak in the defence system.

4. (Electronics) the loss of current from an electrical conductor because of faulty insulation, etc

5. a disclosure, often intentional, of secret information

6. the act or an instance of leaking

7. a slang word for urination. See urination

8. to enter or escape or allow to enter or escape through a crack, hole, etc

9. (when: intr, often foll by out) to disclose (secret information), often intentionally, or (of secret information) to be disclosed

10. (Physiology) (intr) a slang word for urinate

[C15: from Scandinavian; compare Old Norse leka to drip]

ˈleaker n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

leak

(lik)

n.

1. an unintended hole, crack, or the like, through which liquid, gas, light, etc., enters or escapes: a leak in the roof.

2. an act or instance of leaking.

3. any means of unintended entrance or escape.

4. the loss of electric current from a conductor, usu. resulting from poor insulation.

5. a disclosure of secret, esp. official, information by an unnamed source.

v.i.

6. to let a liquid, gas, light, etc., enter or escape, as through an unintended hole or crack.

7. to pass in or out in this manner.

8. to become known unintentionally (usu. fol. by out).

v.t.

9. to let (liquid, gas, light, etc.) enter or escape: This camera leaks light.

10. to allow to become known, as information given out covertly.

Idioms:

take a leak, Slang: Usu. Vulgar. to urinate.

[1375–1425; late Middle English leken, liken]

leak

Past participle: leaked
Gerund: leaking

Imperative
leak
leak

Present
I leak
you leak
he/she/it leaks
we leak
you leak
they leak

Preterite
I leaked
you leaked
he/she/it leaked
we leaked
you leaked
they leaked

Present Continuous
I am leaking
you are leaking
he/she/it is leaking
we are leaking
you are leaking
they are leaking

Present Perfect
I have leaked
you have leaked
he/she/it has leaked
we have leaked
you have leaked
they have leaked

Past Continuous
I was leaking
you were leaking
he/she/it was leaking
we were leaking
you were leaking
they were leaking

Past Perfect
I had leaked
you had leaked
he/she/it had leaked
we had leaked
you had leaked
they had leaked

Future
I will leak
you will leak
he/she/it will leak
we will leak
you will leak
they will leak

Future Perfect
I will have leaked
you will have leaked
he/she/it will have leaked
we will have leaked
you will have leaked
they will have leaked

Future Continuous
I will be leaking
you will be leaking
he/she/it will be leaking
we will be leaking
you will be leaking
they will be leaking

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been leaking
you have been leaking
he/she/it has been leaking
we have been leaking
you have been leaking
they have been leaking

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been leaking
you will have been leaking
he/she/it will have been leaking
we will have been leaking
you will have been leaking
they will have been leaking

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been leaking
you had been leaking
he/she/it had been leaking
we had been leaking
you had been leaking
they had been leaking

Conditional
I would leak
you would leak
he/she/it would leak
we would leak
you would leak
they would leak

Past Conditional
I would have leaked
you would have leaked
he/she/it would have leaked
we would have leaked
you would have leaked
they would have leaked

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	leak - an accidental hole that allows something (fluid or light etc.) to enter or escape; "one of the tires developed a leak" hole - an opening into or through something
	2.	leak - soft watery rot in fruits and vegetables caused by fungi soft rot - mushy or slimy decay of plants caused by bacteria or fungi
	3.	leak - a euphemism for urination; "he had to take a leak" making water, passing water, wetting euphemism - an inoffensive or indirect expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive or too harsh micturition, urination - the discharge of urine
	4.	leak - the discharge of a fluid from some container; "they tried to stop the escape of gas from the damaged pipe"; "he had to clean up the leak" leakage, outflow, escape outpouring, discharge, run - the pouring forth of a fluid
	5.	leak - unauthorized (especially deliberate) disclosure of confidential information news leak disclosure, revealing, revelation - the speech act of making something evident
Verb	1.	leak - tell anonymously; "The news were leaked to the paper" disclose, let on, divulge, expose, give away, let out, reveal, unwrap, discover, bring out, break - make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret; "The auction house would not disclose the price at which the van Gogh had sold"; "The actress won't reveal how old she is"; "bring out the truth"; "he broke the news to her"; "unwrap the evidence in the murder case"
	2.	leak - be leaked; "The news leaked out despite his secrecy" leak out get around, get out, break - be released or become known; of news; "News of her death broke in the morning"
	3.	leak - enter or escape as through a hole or crack or fissure; "Water leaked out of the can into the backpack"; "Gas leaked into the basement" egress, come forth, emerge, go forth, come out, issue - come out of; "Water issued from the hole in the wall"; "The words seemed to come out by themselves"
	4.	leak - have an opening that allows light or substances to enter or go out; "The container leaked gasoline"; "the roof leaks badly" take in water, bilge - take in water at the bilge; "the tanker bilged"

leak

verb

1. escape, pass, spill, release, discharge, drip, trickle, ooze, seep, exude, percolate The pool's sides had cracked and the water had leaked out.

2. disclose, tell, reveal, pass on, give away, make public, divulge, let slip, make known, spill the beans (informal), blab (informal), let the cat out of the bag, blow wide open (slang) He revealed who had leaked a confidential police report.

noun

1. leakage, leaking, discharge, drip, oozing, seepage, percolation It's thought a gas leak may have caused the blast.

2. hole, opening, crack, puncture, aperture, chink, crevice, fissure, perforation a leak in the radiator

3. disclosure, exposé, exposure, admission, revelation, uncovering, betrayal, unearthing, divulgence Serious leaks involving national security are likely to be investigated.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

leak

verb

Informal. To be made public.Also used with out:

break, come out, get out, out, transpire.

Idiom: come to light.

Translations

تَسَرُّبتَسْريب أخْبارشِق أو مَسْرَبيَتَسَرَّبُيَدْلِف، يَتَسَرَّبُ منه الماء

unikatvyzraditdírapropouštětprozrazení

lække=-læklæklækage

Leck lecken tropfen durchlassen Durchsickern

διαρροή διαρρέω

escape gotear gotera filtrar fuga

vuotaavuoto

fuir fuite livrer accuser dénoncer

curenjecuriti

áteresztcsepegkiszivárgáskiszivárogtatlék

gat, lekilekaleki

perdere perdita fessura fuga filtrare

漏れる漏れ口

새는 곳새다

ištekėjimaskiaurasnuotėkisslaptos informacijos išdavimassunktis

izpaustnoplūdenoplūstplūstsūce

lekken lek

lekkasje lekke utetthet utslipp være lekk

przeciec przeciek

vazar fuga gotejar rombo

течь утечка давать течь протекать протечка

prezradenieunikanieunikať

puščatirazkritirazpokauhajanjeuhajati

läcka

การรั่วรั่ว

sızdırmak sızıntı yarık akıntıakıtmak

lỗ thủngrò rỉ

漏漏洞透露泄漏渗漏

leak

[liːk]

A. N

1. (= hole) (in roof) → gotera f; (in pipe, radiator, tank) → rotura f; (in boat) → vía f de agua
see also spring B1

2. (= escape) [of gas, water, chemical] → escape m, fuga f

3. (fig) [of information, document] → filtración f
see also security B

4. to go for or have or take a leak → echar una meada, mear

B. VI

1. (= be leaky) [roof] → tener goteras; [pipe, radiator, tank] → gotear, tener una fuga; [boat] → hacer agua; [pen] → perder tinta
her shoes leaked → le entraba agua en or por los zapatos
the window is leaking a bit → entra un poco de agua por la ventana
my pen has leaked onto my shirt → me ha caído tinta del bolígrafo en la camisa

2. (= escape) radioactive gas was leaking from a reactor → había un escape or fuga de gas radiactivo en un reactor
water was leaking through the roof → entraba agua por el tejado, goteaba agua del tejado

C. VT

1. [+ liquid] (= discharge) → perder; (= pour out) → derramar
a tanker has leaked oil into the Baltic Sea → un petrolero ha derramado petróleo al mar Báltico
it is feared that these weapons could leak plutonium → se teme que se produzca un escape de plutonio de estas armas

2. (fig) [+ information, document] → filtrar (to a) his letter was leaked to the press → su carta se filtró a la prensa

leak in VI + ADV [liquid] → entrar

leak out VI + ADV

1. (lit) [gas, liquid] → salirse

2. (fig) [secret, news, information] → filtrarse

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

leak

[ˈliːk]

[liquid, gas] → fuite f
a gas leak → une fuite de gaz

(= hole) (in roof, pipe, container, boat) → fuite f
The roof has got a leak → Le toit a une fuite.
to spring a leak [pipes, roof] → se mettre à fuir; [boat] → subir une voie d'eau
The boat had sprung a leak → Le bateau avait subi une voie d'eau.

(= disclosure) [information, document] → fuite f
There has been a security leak
BUT Il y a eu des brèches dans les systèmes de sécurité.

[pipe, container, roof] → fuir; [shoes] → prendre l'eau
The roof leaked → Le toit fuyait.

[liquid, gas] → s'échapper

[+ liquid, gas] → perdre

[+ information, document] → divulguer
A civil servant was imprisoned for leaking a document to the press → Un fonctionnaire a été emprisonné pour avoir divulgué le document à la presse.
The story was leaked to the press
BUT Il y a eu des fuites dans la presse à propos de l'affaire.

leak out

[liquid, gas] → fuir

[information] → filtrer
Tales of this kind leak out from time to time → Des récits de ce genre filtrent de temps en temps.

leak

(= hole) → undichte Stelle; (in container) → Loch nt; (Naut) → Leck nt; to have a leak → undicht sein; (bucket etc) → laufen, lecken; my pen has a leak → mein Kugelschreiber läuft aus or ist nicht dicht; there’s a leak in the gas pipe → die Gasleitung ist undicht; the rain is coming in through a leak in the roof → es regnet durchs Dach herein

(= escape of liquid) → Leck nt; a gas leak → eine undichte Stelle in der Gasleitung; the tunnel was flooded because of the leaks → der Tunnel wurde vom eindringenden Wasser überflutet; a faulty joint caused a gas leak → durch die fehlerhafte Verbindung strömte Gas aus

(fig) → undichte Stelle; there was a leak of information → es sind Informationen durchgesickert; a security/news leak → eine undichte Stelle; the news leak may have been the result of carelessness → die Nachricht kann aufgrund or auf Grund einer Unachtsamkeit durchgesickert sein; a leak to the press → eine Indiskretion der Presse gegenüber; they wanted to break the news gently by a series of leaks to the press → sie wollten die Nachricht langsam an die Presse durchsickern lassen

(inf) to go for a leak, to have a leak → pissen gehen (vulg)

(lit) → durchlassen; fuel → verlieren; that tank is leaking acid → aus diesem Tank läuft Säure aus; the tanker had leaked its contents into the river → der Tankerinhalt war in den Fluss gelaufen

(fig) information, story, plans → zuspielen (to sb jdm); secret → verraten (to sb jdm)

(ship, receptacle, pipe) → lecken; (roof) → undicht or nicht dicht sein; (pen) → auslaufen, undicht sein

(gas) → ausströmen, entweichen; (liquid) → auslaufen; (= ooze out) → tropfen (from aus); water is leaking (in) through the roof → Wasser tropft or sickert durch das Dach, es regnet durch (das Dach durch); to leak away → auslaufen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

leak

[liːk]

1. n (in pipe) → perdita, fuoriuscita; (in boat) → falla; (in roof, wall) → infiltrazione f; (of gas) → fuga, perdita, fuoriuscita (fig) (of information) → fuga di notizie
to have or take a leak (fam) → andare al bagno, andare a far pipì

2. vi (roof, bucket) → perdere; (ship) → far acqua; (shoes) → lasciar passare l'acqua
water was leaking into the cellar → l'acqua si stava infiltrando nella cantina

3. vt (liquid) → gocciolare, perdere (fig) (information) → divulgare

leak out vi + adv (liquid) → uscire (fuori); (gas) → esalare, uscire (fig) (news) → trapelare

leak

(liːk) noun

1. a crack or hole through which liquid or gas escapes. Water was escaping through a leak in the pipe.

2. the passing of gas, water etc through a crack or hole. a gas-leak.

3. a giving away of secret information. a leak of Government plans.

verb

1. to have a leak. This bucket leaks; The boiler leaked hot water all over the floor.

2. to (cause something) to pass through a leak. Gas was leaking from the cracked pipe; He was accused of leaking secrets to the enemy.

ˈleakage (-kidʒ) noun

(an act of) leaking. Leakages in several water-mains had been reported; a leakage of information.

ˈleaky adjective

a leaky boat.

leak

→ تَسَرُّب, يَتَسَرَّبُ trhlina, unikat lækage, lække Leck, lecken διαρρέω, διαρροή escape, tener un escape vuotaa, vuoto fuir, fuite curenje, curiti perdere, perdita 漏れる, 漏れ口 새는 곳, 새다 lek, lekken lekkasje, lekke przeciec, przeciek fuga, gotejar, rombo, vazar давать течь, утечка läcka การรั่ว, รั่ว sızdırmak, sızıntı lỗ thủng, rò rỉ 漏, 漏洞

leak

n. [of gas] escape; [water] gotera, filtración; [to ___ out] salirse, derramarse, escaparse.

There's a leak in the radiator (US)
There is a leak in the radiator (UK) → V chladiči je díra → Køleren er utæt → Der Kühler hat ein Leck → El radiador está goteando → Jäähdyttimessä on vuoto → Il y a une fuite dans le radiateur → Radijator curi → C'è una perdita nel radiatore → 라디에이터가 새요 → Er zit een lek in de radiator → Det er en lekkasje i radiatoren → Jest wyciek z chłodnicy → Tem um vazamento no radiador → Радиатор дал течь → Kylaren läcker → หม้อน้ำรั่ว → Radyatör sızıntı yapıyor → Két nước bị rò → 散热管漏水

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In this voyage, being by contrary winds obliged to beat up and down a great while in the Straits of Malacca and among the islands, we were no sooner got clear of those difficult seas than we found our ship had sprung a leak, but could not discover where it was.

View in context

He saw where his boat leaked, but he did not look for the leak, perhaps purposely deceiving himself.

View in context

However, in the mean time it had transpired that the men employed to calk the raft had found that the leak was not a leak at all, but only a crack between the logs--a crack that belonged there, and was not dangerous, but had been magnified into a leak by the disordered imagination of the mate.

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One or two stiff gales and the springing of a leak are accidents which experienced navigators scarcely remember to record, and I shall be well content if nothing worse happen to us during our voyage.

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Poor Huck was in the same state of wretchedness and terror, for Tom had told the whole story to the lawyer the night before the great day of the trial, and Huck was sore afraid that his share in the business might leak out, yet, notwithstanding Injun Joe's flight had saved him the suffering of testifying in court.

View in context

The Scotia, divided into seven compartments by strong partitions, could brave with impunity any leak. Captain Anderson went down immediately into the hold.

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It eased before morning, and next day the sky cleared, and as the sea went down the leak took up.

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Some gamesome wights will tell you that they have to plant weeds there, they don't grow naturally; that they import Canada thistles; that they have to send beyond seas for a spile to stop a leak in an oil cask; that pieces of wood in Nantucket are carried about like bits of the true cross in Rome; that people there plant toadstools before their houses, to get under the shade in summer time; that one blade of grass makes an oasis, three blades in a day's walk a prairie; that they wear quicksand shoes, something like Laplander snowshoes; that they are so shut up, belted about, every way inclosed, surrounded, and made an utter island of by the ocean, that to their very chairs and tables small clams will sometimes be found adhering, as to the backs of sea turtles.

View in context

I had an idea that the well had sprung a leak; that some of the wall stones near the bottom had fallen and exposed fissures that allowed the water to escape.

View in context

It became necessary to employ very powerful pumps and compressed-air engines to drain it off, so as to close up the orifice from whence it issued; just as one stops a leak on board ship.

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They had lost their masts and sprung a leak in a hurricane; drifted for weeks, always at the pumps, met more bad weather; the ships they sighted failed to make them out, the leak gained upon them slowly, and the seas had left them nothing to make a raft of.

View in context

The flat began to leak. In a very few moments it was necessary for Elaine to scramble to her feet, pick up her cloth of gold coverlet and pall of blackest samite and gaze blankly at a big crack in the bottom of her barge through which the water was literally pouring.