The rain was dripping through a leak in the roof.
Source: tatoeba (26966)
Leak
/liːk/
Synonyms for "leak" (252 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (51)
Strong matches (75)
Related words (126)
go up in smokegorgegroovegulchgulfgullyhiatusholehollowincisionindiscretioninforminform oninletintervalissuanceissuejailbreakjointkloof
Show 89 more words
lacunalaying openleak awayleak outleakageleakinglet droplet falllet slipletting outliberationmake knownmake publicmoatnotchnullahobvious clueoozeoozingopeningopening uporificeoutoutletpasspassagepassagewaypeachporeprisonbreakpublishpunctureratravinereleaserentrescuereveal a secretrevelationriddanceriftrimerumorrun to seedrun to wasterupturescissureseamsecretesecretionseepseepageseepingsetting-freesingslipslitslotspacespillspill the beanssplitsquealstomastooltalktattletattle onteartelltell ontell secretstell talestelltaletelltale signthrowing opentranspiretrenchtrickletrilluncorkingunstoppingunwitting disclosurevalleyventvoidwadiweepyawn
Noun(14 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: escape, leakage, outflow, abysm, abyss.
- Sentence evidence is available for leak, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "leak".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "leak"
Keep "leak" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "leak" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "leak", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "leak" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
36 entriesShowing 16 of 36 words.
More specific
7 entriesclassified disclosuredata breachgas leakinternal leakoil leakpress leakwater leak
Collocations
8 entriesgas leakinformation leakleak detectionleak pathleak rateoil leaksecurity leakwater leak
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
3 entriesTranslations
92 translations across 42 languages.
Arabic
1 entries- تَسَرَّبَ verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Azerbaijani
2 entries- (su) keçirmək verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- axmaq verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Bashkir
3 entries- ағыу verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- тамсылыу verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- һыу үткәреү verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Bulgarian
2 entries- изтичам verb ((of a fluid or gas) to pass through an opening that should be sealed)
- пропускам verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Cherokee
1 entries- ᎬᎫᏍᎦ verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Chinese Cantonese
1 entries- 漏 verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 洩漏 /泄漏 verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- 漏 verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Cornish
1 entries- devera verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Danish
1 entries- lække verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Dutch
1 entries- lekken verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Esperanto
1 entries- liki verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Finnish
2 entries- vuotaa verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- vuotaa verb ((of a fluid or gas) to pass through an opening that should be sealed)
French
1 entries- fuir verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
German
2 entries- lecken verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- tropfen verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Greek
1 entries- διαρρέω verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Hawaiian
2 entries- kulu verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- kulu verb ((of a fluid or gas) to pass through an opening that should be sealed)
Hindi
2 entries- रिसना verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- रिसाव verb ((of a fluid or gas) to pass through an opening that should be sealed)
Hungarian
4 entries- csepeg verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- csepeg verb ((of a fluid or gas) to pass through an opening that should be sealed)
- ereszt verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- folyik verb ((of a fluid or gas) to pass through an opening that should be sealed)
Ido
1 entries- likar verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Indonesian
1 entries- bocor verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Ingrian
2 entries- mehtää verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- nestää verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Italian
3 entries- percolare verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- perdere verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- trapelare verb ((of a fluid or gas) to pass through an opening that should be sealed)
Japanese
1 entries- 漏れる verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Korean
1 entries- 새다 verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Latin
1 entries- pereo verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Malay
1 entries- bocor verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Malayalam
2 entries- ചോരുക verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- ചോരുക verb ((of a fluid or gas) to pass through an opening that should be sealed)
Mongolian
1 entries- гоожих verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Māori
4 entries- mapi verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- pahī verb ((of a fluid or gas) to pass through an opening that should be sealed)
- papī verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- turu verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Norwegian Bokmål
2 entries- lekke verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- ta inn vann verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Polish
4 entries- (np. o dachu) przeciekać verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- przeciec verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- ulatniać verb ((of a fluid or gas) to pass through an opening that should be sealed)
- ulotnić verb ((of a fluid or gas) to pass through an opening that should be sealed)
Portuguese
2 entries- vazar verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- vazar verb ((of a fluid or gas) to pass through an opening that should be sealed)
Russian
2 entries- протека́ть verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- течь verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Serbo-Croatian
1 entries- curiti verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Spanish
4 entries- chorrear verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- escapar verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- filtrar verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- filtrar verb ((of a fluid or gas) to pass through an opening that should be sealed)
Swedish
1 entries- läcka verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Tamil
1 entries- ஒழுகு verb ((of a fluid or gas) to pass through an opening that should be sealed)
Thai
1 entries- รั่ว verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Turkish
2 entries- sızdırmak verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- sızmak verb ((of a fluid or gas) to pass through an opening that should be sealed)
Unami
2 entries- psëntpe verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
- wëntpe verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Vietnamese
1 entries- làm rò rỉ verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Welsh
1 entries- gollwng verb ((of a container) to allow fluid to escape or enter)
Sample sentences
35 total sentences available.
The explosion may have been caused by a gas leak.
Source: tatoeba (44483)
There is a leak in the roof.
Source: tatoeba (60219)
The leak needs to be stopped immediately.
Source: tatoeba (326380)
Showing 4 of 35 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "leak"?
Closest matches include escape, leakage, outflow, abysm, abyss.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "leak"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.