leak out
(redirected from leak something out)
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leak out
1. To seep or flow out of some crack, breach, or flaw in something, as of a gas, liquid, gel, etc. There must be a crack in the pipes, because water has been leaking out beneath the sink. When I opened my luggage, I saw that toothpaste had leaked out onto all my clothes. Oil leaked out of the lawnmower and stained the porch.
2. To become known to those from whom (something) was supposed to remain secret or classified. There was outrage when news of the government's spying on private citizens leaked out last month. Information about a new model of the popular laptop brand has leaked out.
3. To release or reveal information about something that was supposed to remain secret or classified. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can used between "leak" and "out." A White House staffer has been accused of leaking the president's agenda out to the press. A whistleblower within the company leaked out information about their tax evasion practices.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
leak out (of something)
[for a fluid] to seep out of something or some place. Some of the brake fluid leaked out of the car and made a spot on the driveway. Look under the car. Something's leaking out.
leak out
[for information] to become known unofficially. I hope that news of the new building does not leak out before the contract is signed. When the story leaked out, my telephone would not stop ringing.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
leak out
v.
1. To flow out through some breach or flaw in a container; seep out: Water leaked out the crack in the pipe. As the air leaked out of the balloon, it got smaller and smaller.
2. To become known to the public through a breach of secrecy: We were supposed to keep the date a secret, but it leaked out.
3. To release secret information to the public through unofficial channels: A disgruntled worker leaked the scandalous information out to the reporter. Someone leaked out news of the fraudulent business deal to the newspapers.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.