leak
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.a small hole or crack that lets liquid or gas escape or enter.
n.a crack, hole, or fissure that permits the unintended entrance or escape of a fluid or gas.
Simple“The plumber found a small leak in the pipe under the kitchen sink.”
In context“The engineers identified a microscopic leak in the fuel line, which had been causing a gradual drop in pressure during the test flight.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the act of giving secret information to the public or the media.
n.the intentional but unauthorized disclosure of confidential information to the public or the press.
Simple“A leak from the government office revealed the new tax plans early.”
In context“The recent data leak has compromised the personal details of thousands of customers, leading to a massive investigation into the company's security protocols.”
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
n.when a computer program uses up memory and does not give it back.
n.the gradual depletion of system resources, such as memory, caused by a failure to deallocate previously reserved portions.
Simple“The app crashes because of a memory leak that uses all the phone's RAM.”
In context“The software update was designed specifically to address a persistent memory leak that had been degrading server performance over long periods of uptime.”
Synonyms - 04 C1 Advanced
n.a very informal way to talk about going to the toilet.
n.an act of urination; used in informal or vulgar contexts.
Simple“We stopped the car at a petrol station so he could take a leak.”
In context“After the long bus journey, several passengers were desperate to find a restroom and take a leak.”
Synonyms - 05 B1 Intermediate
v.to let liquid or gas out through a hole by accident.
v.to allow fluid or gas to pass through an opening that should be sealed; may be used transitively or intransitively.
Simple“Water started to leak from the ceiling after the heavy rain.”
In context“The damaged container began to leak toxic fumes into the warehouse, forcing an immediate evacuation of all staff members.”
- 06 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to give secret information to someone, like a reporter.
v.to disclose confidential information surreptitiously or anonymously to an outside party.
Simple“Someone in the company leaked the photos of the new phone before the launch.”
In context“An anonymous source leaked the classified documents to the newspaper, sparking a nationwide debate on government transparency.”
“The i Paper focuses on higher water bill , external s on the way from five companies, which it says lose 1.2 billion litres a day because of leaks.”
“Burnham said he understood why people were angry as they had been asked to pay more for years while pollution incidents and leaks continued.”
From Middle English leken (“to let water in or out”), from Old English lecan (“to leak”), Middle Dutch leken (“to leak, drip”) or Old Norse leka (“to leak, drip”); all from Proto-Germanic lekaną (“to leak, drain”), from Proto-Indo-European leg-, leǵ- (“to leak”). Cognate with Dutch lekken (“to leak”), German lechen, lecken (“to leak”), Danish lække (“to leak”), Swedish läcka (“to leak”), Icelandic leka (“to leak”). Related also to Old English leċċan (“to water, wet”), Albanian lag, lak (“I damp, make wet”). See also leach, lake. (divulgation, disclosure of information): Compare typologically Bulgarian изтичане (iztičane), Polish przeciek, Russian уте́чка (utéčka) (akin to течь impf or f (tečʹ)).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.