- 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 improvementDecorating 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
- 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
- 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 Dictionaryverb + leak- have
- develop
- spring
- …
- leak in
- 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 Dictionaryadjective- major
- serious
- minor
- …
- cause
- detect
- discover
- …
- happen
- occur
- come from something
- …
- leak from
- leak of
- a deliberate act of giving secret information to reporters, 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 Dictionaryadjective- security
- serious
- alleged
- …
- come from something
- leak about
- leak from
- leak of
- …
- the source of a leak
- (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
See leak in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee leak in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishspring a leak
- (of a boat or container) to develop a hole through which water or another liquid can pass
Check pronunciation:
leak