leak: Meaning and Definition of

leak

Pronunciation: (lēk), [key]
— n.
  1. an unintended hole, crack, or the like, through which liquid, gas, light, etc., enters or escapes: a leak in the roof.
  2. an act or instance of leaking.
  3. any means of unintended entrance or escape.
  4. the loss of current from a conductor, usually resulting from poor insulation.
  5. a disclosure of secret, esp. official, information, as to the news media, by an unnamed source.
  6. . to urinate.
—v.i.
  1. to let a liquid, gas, light, etc., enter or escape, as through an unintended hole or crack: The boat leaks.
  2. to pass in or out in this manner, as liquid, gas, or light: gas leaking from a pipe.
  3. to become known unintentionally (usually fol. by out): The news leaked out.
  4. to disclose secret, esp. official, information anonymously, as to the news media: The official revealed that he had leaked to the press in the hope of saving his own reputation.
—v.t.
  1. to let (liquid, gas, light, etc.) enter or escape: This camera leaks light.
  2. to allow to become known, as information given out covertly: to leak the news of the ambassador's visit.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
See also: