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Definition of leak


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leak  audio  (lk) KEY  

VERB:
leaked , leak·ing , leaks
VERB:
intr.
  1. To permit the escape, entry, or passage of something through a breach or flaw: rusted pipes that were beginning to leak; a boat leaking at the seams.
  2. To escape or pass through a breach or flaw: helium leaking slowly from the balloon.
  3. Informal To become publicly known through a breach of secrecy: The news has leaked.
VERB:
tr.
  1. To permit (a substance) to escape or pass through a breach or flaw: a damaged reactor leaking radioactivity into the atmosphere.
  2. Informal To disclose without authorization or official sanction: leaked classified information to a reporter.
NOUN:
  1. A crack or flaw that permits something to escape from or enter a container or conduit: fixed the leak in the roof.
    1. The act or instance of leaking.
    2. An amount leaked: equipment used in cleaning up oil leaks.
  2. Informal An unauthorized or a deliberate disclosure of confidential information: "Sometimes we can't respond to stories based on leaks" (Ronald Reagan).
    1. Loss of electric current as a result of faulty insulation.
    2. The path or place at which this loss takes place.

IDIOM:
take a leak Vulgar Slang
To urinate.

ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English leken, probably from Middle Dutch lken

OTHER FORMS:
leaker (Noun)


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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition.
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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