# leak

Pronunciation: say "LEEK" /liːk/

## Noun

1. A crack, crevice, or hole through which water or another fluid escapes or gets in.
   - Simple: A small hole or crack that lets water or gas escape or get in.
   - _A small leak in the roof let rainwater drip onto the floor._
   - _Plumbers traced the leak to a cracked joint behind the wall._
2. The passage of a fluid into or out of something through a crack, hole, or other opening.
   - Simple: The flow of water or gas in or out through a hole or crack.
   - _A steady leak drained the reservoir before anyone noticed._
   - _The faint hiss told them where the air leak was coming from._
5. A disclosure of secret information to people not meant to receive it.
   - Simple: A secret being shared with people who were not supposed to know it.
   - _A leak from inside the agency exposed the classified report._
   - _The minister blamed the leak on a junior staffer._
7. A loss of electric charge through faulty insulation, or the point where it occurs.
   - Simple: A slow loss of electricity through a covering that does not block it well.
   - _A current leak through the damaged insulation tripped the breaker._
   - _Technicians located the leak at a frayed section of cable._
8. A gradual loss of a system resource caused by a program's failure to release portions it reserved earlier.
   - Simple: A slow loss of computer memory because a program does not give back what it used.
   - _A memory leak gradually consumed the server's available RAM._
   - _Developers traced the leak to a loop that never freed its buffers._
9. The person through whom secret information reaches those not meant to receive it.
   - Simple: A person who secretly shares private information with people who should not get it.
   - _The agency launched a hunt to identify the leak within its ranks._
   - _Editors refused to name the leak who handed them the memos._
12. A vulgar slang word for an act of urination. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A rude slang word for the act of peeing.
   - _He stepped behind the tree to take a leak._
   - _After three coffees he badly needed a leak._

## Verb

3. To escape or seep through a crack, hole, or faulty seal, as oil, water, or gas does.
   - Simple: To flow out slowly through a hole or crack that should be closed.
   - _Oil started to leak through a hairline crack in the casing._
   - _Coolant leaked steadily onto the garage floor._
4. To lose liquid or gas because an opening is not properly sealed.
   - Simple: To let water or gas pass out through a hole that should be closed.
   - _Faulty seals can leak gas into the cabin._
   - _The reactor leaked coolant before engineers caught the fault._
6. To disclose secret information quietly or anonymously, often to the media.
   - Simple: To secretly give out private information that was supposed to be kept hidden.
   - _A whistleblower chose to leak the documents to reporters._
   - _Officials feared that someone would leak the negotiation details._
10. To slip past a barrier, defense, or filter that would usually, or ideally, keep it out.
   - Simple: To get through something that should have stopped it.
   - _A few enemy drones leaked through the air defenses and reached the base._
   - _Despite the new filter, a handful of spam messages still leak into her inbox every day._
11. To fail to contain or exclude something, letting it pass where it would usually or preferably be blocked.
   - Simple: To let something pass through that should have been blocked.
   - _Cheap headphones can leak music to everyone nearby._
   - _The poorly sealed booth leaked light onto the screen._
13. To urinate, in slang or casual speech. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To pee, in rough or joking speech.
   - _He went behind the shed to leak before the game started._
   - _Drunk and laughing, they leaked into the bushes by the road._
14. To bleed, in American slang. *(slang, US)*
   - Simple: To bleed, in rough American slang.
   - _The boxer was still leaking from a gash above his brow._
   - _Keep pressure on the wound so you don't leak everywhere._

## Adjective

15. Tending to let fluid escape through cracks or holes; leaky. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Letting water or gas escape through holes or cracks.

## Origin

From Middle English leken ("to let water in or out"), from Old English *lecan, Middle Dutch leken, or Old Norse leka ("to leak, drip"), all from Proto-Germanic *lekaną ("to leak, drain") and ultimately Proto-Indo-European *leg- ("to leak"). It is related to Dutch lekken, German lecken, and Swedish läcka, all meaning "to leak."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/leak (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).