What does "leaking" mean?

1. (escaping liquid or gas) letting a liquid or gas escape through a hole or crack. 2. (sharing secrets) giving secret information to the public or the media. 3. (the act of escaping) the act of something escaping through a hole.

How do you use "leaking"?

Often used in the continuous form to describe an ongoing problem.

leaking

v. · n.

US //ˈɫikɪŋ// UK //lˈiːkɪŋ// leak·ing

1 escaping liquid or gas (v.)
B1 Intermediate

letting a liquid or gas escape through a hole or crack.

the process of a fluid or gas escaping from a container or conduit through an unintended opening.

Example

The kitchen ceiling is leaking because of a broken pipe upstairs.

Example

Engineers identified a leaking valve in the cooling system, which had been causing a gradual drop in pressure over several weeks.

Usage

Often used in the continuous form to describe an ongoing problem.
2 sharing secrets (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

giving secret information to the public or the media.

the unauthorised disclosure of confidential or sensitive information to the public or press.

Example

Someone is leaking the company's private plans to the newspapers.

Example

The administration launched an internal investigation to determine who was leaking classified documents to the international media.
- disclosing
- revealing
- concealing
- suppressing

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3 the act of escaping (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

the act of something escaping through a hole.

the occurrence or instance of a substance or information escaping from its intended containment.

Example

The constant leaking of the tap kept me awake all night.

Example

The sudden leaking of the chemical tank forced an immediate evacuation of the surrounding industrial park.
- leakage
- escape