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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.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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