WordVale

leak

/liːk/  ·  say it: leek

an unofficial release of secret information

In From the Front Page

In more detail

1. (noun) a hole or crack that lets liquid or gas escape

2. (verb) to have liquid or gas escape through a hole or crack

3. (verb) to secretly give private information to someone, usually a journalist

Examples

• There's a leak in the roof and water is dripping into the bedroom.
• The pipe was leaking all night.
• Someone leaked confidential documents to the press.

How to use leak

As a physical phenomenon, leak describes unwanted escape of liquid or gas through an opening. As a verb meaning to disclose secrets, it carries a sense of deliberate but covert action, typically applied to journalists receiving information from unnamed sources. The noun form can refer either to the opening itself or to the act of disclosure.

Common phrases

• plug a leak
• spring a leak
• leak information
• leak to the media
• water leak
• gas leak

Synonyms

hole · crack · breach · disclosure · reveal

Opposites

seal · plug

Word family

leaky (adjective) · leakage (noun) · leaker (noun)

A common mistake

Learners often confuse 'leak' (involuntary escape or covert disclosure) with 'leek' (a vegetable), which are homophones in speech but completely different words.

Nearby in From the Front Page

gerrymander, populist, ceasefire, deportation, polarization, disinformation

Keep going

How to remember the words you read · Spaced repetition, explained