leak

Study(23)

/liːk/

noun 5verb 5adj 1name 1

Collocations

(noun.) small hole/crack

VERB + LEAK

have

My apartment has a leak in the ceiling that drips whenever it rains heavily.

spring

Water started dripping from the ceiling after the roof sprung a leak during the storm.

plug, stop

We called a plumber to stop the leak before water damaged the kitchen ceiling.

PREP

~ in

Water was dripping through a leak in the basement wall during the heavy rainstorm.

(noun.) when gas/liquid escapes

ADJ

major, serious | minor | slow | fuel, gas, oil, radiation, radioactive

VERB + LEAK

cause

A faulty pipe in the bathroom caused a serious leak that damaged the ceiling below.

detect, discover, find, notice, spot

The plumber discovered a leak under the kitchen sink last week.

fix, repair, stop

We need to stop the leak in the roof before it damages the ceiling.

prevent

The company installed new seals to prevent water leaks in the old pipes.

LEAK + VERB

happen, occur

PREP

~ from

Water was dripping from a leak in the bathroom ceiling all night long.

~ of

The discovery of a leak of personal information forced the company to contact all its customers.

(noun.) giving away information

ADJ

security

LEAK + VERB

come from sth

The water leak came from a crack in the pipe behind the wall.

PREP

~ about

There was a leak about the company's plans to close three factories next month.

~ from

Water was dripping from a leak in the bathroom ceiling all night long.

~ of

The discovery of a leak of company secrets forced management to launch an immediate investigation.

~ to

The journalist discovered who had leaked the confidential report to the press.

PHRASES

the source of a leak

Investigators are trying to find the source of the leak in the basement wall.

(verb.) allow sth to get out through a hole

ADV

badly

The kitchen pipe was leaking badly, so water dripped onto the floor below.

slightly

(verb.) tell sb about sth

ADV

carefully, deliberately

widely

News of the company's plan to expand widely leaked before the official announcement.

PREP

from

A secret memo leaked from the government office and appeared on the news.

Someone accidentally leaked confidential information to the company's competitors.

Definitions

noun

A crack, crevice, fissure, or hole which admits water or other fluid, or lets it escape.

a leak in a roof

a leak in a boat

The entrance or escape of a fluid through a crack, fissure, or other aperture.

The leak gained on the ship's pumps.

The babies' diapers had big leaks.

A divulgation, or disclosure, of information previously held secret.

The leaks by Chelsea Manning showed the secrets of the US military.

The person through whom such divulgation, or disclosure, occurs.

[…] so even if he was the leak, we would never know.

I was the leak. That the government didn't like our advice, and so I decided to leak it to 'bounce' them into having to follow it.

A loss of electricity through imperfect insulation, or the point where it occurs.

verb

To allow fluid or gas to pass through an opening that should be sealed.

The wells are believed to have been leaking oil for decades, long after the operating company ceased to exist.

(of a fluid or gas) To pass through an opening that should be sealed.

The faucet has been leaking since last month.

No one realized that propane gas was leaking from a rusty tank in the concession area, slowly filling the unventilated room.

To disclose secret information surreptitiously or anonymously.

Someone must have leaked it to our competitors that the new product will be out soon.

That's another of those irregular verbs, isn't it? I give confidential press briefings; you leak; he's being charged under section 2(A) of the Official Secrets Act.

To pass through when it would normally or preferably be blocked.

A target that is not detected would not be intercepted and thus would leak through the single defensive layer.

To allow anything through that would normally or preferably be blocked.

England were leaking penalties as Scotland played with pace and variety. Russell was starting to find his range and when he threaded through a grubber to Sean Maitland the winger did well to gather and keep the ball in play. Unfortunately, his pass inside just eluded Russell.

adj

Leaky.

Yet is the bottle leake, and bag so torne, / That all which I put in fals out anon […].

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — the discharge of a fluid from some container

noun — a euphemism for urination

wetting

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

Example Bank

a leak in a roof

Wiktionary

a leak in a boat

Wiktionary

a leak in a gas pipe

Wiktionary

The wells are believed to have been leaking oil for decades, long after the operating company ceased to exist.

Wiktionary

The faucet has been leaking since last month.

Wiktionary

No one realized that propane gas was leaking from a rusty tank in the concession area, slowly filling the unventilated room.

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, leak is marked as figuratively, obsolete. Watch for register when choosing this word.

Your note

not saved

0 chars