# leak

/ˈɫik/ (US) · /lˈiːk/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/leak
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. a hole for liquid

noun · CEFR B1

a small hole or crack that lets liquid or gas escape or enter.

For teachers: a crack, hole, or fissure that permits the unintended entrance or escape of a fluid or gas.

- The plumber found a small leak in the pipe under the kitchen sink.
- The engineers identified a microscopic leak in the fuel line, which had been causing a gradual drop in pressure during the test flight.

### 2. secret information

noun · CEFR B2

the act of giving secret information to the public or the media.

For teachers: the intentional but unauthorized disclosure of confidential information to the public or the press.

- A leak from the government office revealed the new tax plans early.
- The recent data leak has compromised the personal details of thousands of customers, leading to a massive investigation into the company's security protocols.

### 3. computing resource loss

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

when a computer program uses up memory and does not give it back.

For teachers: the gradual depletion of system resources, such as memory, caused by a failure to deallocate previously reserved portions.

- The app crashes because of a memory leak that uses all the phone's RAM.
- The software update was designed specifically to address a persistent memory leak that had been degrading server performance over long periods of uptime.

### 4. urination

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal · Slang · Vulgar

a very informal way to talk about going to the toilet.

For teachers: an act of urination; used in informal or vulgar contexts.

- We stopped the car at a petrol station so he could take a leak.
- After the long bus journey, several passengers were desperate to find a restroom and take a leak.

### 5. to escape through a hole

verb · CEFR B1

to let liquid or gas out through a hole by accident.

For teachers: to allow fluid or gas to pass through an opening that should be sealed; may be used transitively or intransitively.

- Water started to leak from the ceiling after the heavy rain.
- The damaged container began to leak toxic fumes into the warehouse, forcing an immediate evacuation of all staff members.

### 6. to share secrets

verb · CEFR B2

to give secret information to someone, like a reporter.

For teachers: to disclose confidential information surreptitiously or anonymously to an outside party.

- Someone in the company leaked the photos of the new phone before the launch.
- An anonymous source leaked the classified documents to the newspaper, sparking a nationwide debate on government transparency.

## Examples

- The plumber is coming to fix a leak under the kitchen sink.
- A whistleblower provided a leak to the press regarding the company's hidden environmental impact.
- Engineers identified a microscopic leak in the pressurized hull that, if left unaddressed, could have compromised the structural integrity of the entire vessel during the ascent.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.