# leaked

/ˈɫikt/ (US) · /lˈiːkt/ (UK)

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

## Senses

### 1. liquid or gas escaping

verb · CEFR B1

escaped from a container through a small hole or crack.

For teachers: escaped from a vessel or conduit via a breach or structural failure. Intransitive or transitive depending on whether the substance or the container is the subject.

- Water leaked from the old pipe and made a mess on the floor.
- Toxic chemicals leaked into the groundwater for several months before the facility's monitoring system finally triggered an alarm.

### 2. sharing secrets

verb · CEFR B2

gave secret information to the public or the news without permission.

For teachers: disclosed confidential information to the public or the media, typically through an anonymous or unauthorised source.

- Someone leaked the private emails to the newspaper last night.
- An anonymous whistleblower leaked the classified documents to the press, sparking a national debate about government transparency and surveillance.

### 3. confidential and released

adjective · CEFR B2

describes information that was supposed to be secret but was made public.

For teachers: referring to documents or data that have been released to the public without authorisation. Usually used before a noun.

- The leaked report showed that the company knew about the problem.
- The leaked transcripts of the private meeting caused a significant drop in the company's share price as investors reacted to the internal chaos.

## Examples

- The pipe leaked water all over the kitchen floor.
- An anonymous source leaked the confidential documents to the press just days before the election.
- While the vessel leaked fuel at an alarming rate, the captain focused on ensuring that the internal reports regarding the mechanical failure were not leaked to the shareholders.

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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.