leak

verb

/liːk/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they leak	/liːk/ /liːk/
he / she / it leaks	/liːks/ /liːks/
past simple leaked	/liːkt/ /liːkt/
past participle leaked	/liːkt/ /liːkt/
-ing form leaking	/ˈliːkɪŋ/ /ˈliːkɪŋ/

Phrasal Verbs

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[intransitive, transitive] to allow liquid or gas to get in or out through a small hole
- a leaking pipe
- The roof was leaking.
- leak something The tank had leaked a small amount of water.
Extra Examples
- The house was old and the roof leaked badly.
- A pipe was leaking in her hotel room.
- He came to help me repair the leaking roof.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- badly
- slightly
See full entry
[intransitive] (of a liquid or gas) to get in or out through a small hole in something
- Water had started to leak into the cellar.
Extra Examples
- A small stream of water leaked from the rock.
- to prevent radiation from leaking out
- Water was leaking into the cellar.
- Gas was leaking from one of the pipes.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- badly
- slightly
See full entry
[transitive] leak something (to somebody) to give secret information to the public, for example by telling a newspaper synonym disclose
- The contents of the report were leaked to the press.
- He obtained a leaked document containing the views of some officials.
Extra Examples
- Confidential information that has been leaked from the BBC.
- The document had been widely leaked.
- The report was leaked to the press.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- carefully
- deliberately
- widely
- …
preposition
- from
- to
See full entry

Word Originlate Middle English: probably of Low German or Dutch origin and related to lack.

leak

noun

/liːk/

Idioms

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a small hole that lets liquid or gas flow in or out of something by accident
- a leak in the roof
- a leak in the gas pipe
Collocations Decorating and home improvement
Decorating and home improvementHouses
- refurbish/renovate/ (British English) do up a building/a house
- convert a building/house/room into homes/offices/(especially North American English) apartments/(British English) flats
- extend/enlarge a house/building/room/kitchen
- build (British English) an extension (to the back/rear of a house)/(North American English) an addition (on/to something)/(British English) a conservatory
- knock down/demolish a house/home/building/wall
- knock out/through the wall separating two rooms
Decoration
- furnish/paint/ (especially British English) decorate a home/a house/an apartment/a flat/a room
- be decorated in bright colours/in a traditional style/with flowers/with paintings
- paint/plaster the walls/ceiling
- hang/put up/strip off/remove the wallpaper
- install/replace/remove the bathroom fixtures/(British English) fittings
- build/put up shelves
- lay wooden flooring/timber decking/floor tiles/a carpet/a patio
- put up/hang/take down a picture/painting/poster/curtain
DIY/home improvement
- do (British English) DIY/carpentry/the plumbing/the wiring
- make home improvements
- add/install central heating/underfloor heating/insulation
- fit/install double-glazing/a smoke alarm
- insulate your house/your home/the walls/the pipes/the tanks/(especially British English) the loft
- fix/repair a roof/a leak/a pipe/the plumbing/a leaking (especially British English) tap/(North American English usually) faucet
- block/clog (up)/unblock/unclog a pipe/sink
- make/drill/fill a hole
- hammer (in)/pull out/remove a nail
- tighten/untighten/loosen/remove a screw
- saw/cut/treat/stain/varnish/paint wood
Extra Examples
- Fortunately, we spotted the leak in time.
- I managed to plug the leak.
- Pollution inspectors were called to a leak from a chemical factory.
- The boat had a small leak.
- The pipe has sprung a leak.
- The plumber fixed the leak.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
verb + leak
- have
- develop
- spring
- …
preposition
- leak in
See full entry
liquid or gas that escapes through a hole in something
- If you have no idea where the gas leak is coming from, it is always best to turn the complete system off.
- oil leaks/leaks of oil
Extra Examples
- a leak of dangerous chemicals
- taking steps to prevent gas leaks in the future
- The dismantling of a nuclear reprocessing plant caused a leak of radioactivity yesterday.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- major
- serious
- minor
- …
verb + leak
- cause
- detect
- discover
- …
leak + verb
- happen
- occur
- come from something
- …
preposition
- leak from
- leak of
See full entry
a deliberate act of giving secret information to the newspapers, etc.
- There has been a leak to the press about the government plans on tax.
- There will be an inquiry into the alleged security leaks.
Extra Examples
- serious leaks of US intelligence
- an alleged leak of a CIA employee's name to the media
- a security leak about a number of suspicious deaths among civil servants
- a leak to the American authorities
- a leak of confidential material
- a leak from the prime minister's office
- The organization's press secretary is thought to be the source of the leak.
- The leak could only have come from one source.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- security
- serious
- alleged
- …
leak + verb
- come from something
preposition
- leak about
- leak from
- leak of
- …
phrases
- the source of a leak
See full entry
(slang) an act of passing urine from the body
- to have/take a leak

Word Originlate Middle English: probably of Low German or Dutch origin and related to lack.

Idioms

spring a leak

(of a boat or container) to develop a hole through which water or another liquid can pass