Meaning & use
gas leak
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
an escape of gas from a pipe, container, or appliance, especially one that is dangerous
Grammar: Countable: you can say a gas leak, two gas leaks. Often used with 'a' or 'the'.
Patterns
- a gas leak in something
- smell a gas leak
- report a gas leak
The neighbors called the fire department after they smelled a gas leak.
A gas leak in the basement forced everyone to leave the building.
Engineers are trying to find the gas leak before it causes an explosion.
nouncountablefigurative
a situation in which secret information becomes known to the public
Grammar: Figurative use; often in political or business news.
Patterns
- a gas leak from something
The newspaper described the release of the documents as a gas leak from inside the ministry.
There was a gas leak of confidential details just before the election.
Word forms
| plural | gas leaks |
|---|
Common combinations
- smell a gas leak
- If you smell a gas leak, open the windows and get out.
- report a gas leak
- You should report a gas leak to the gas company immediately.
- fix a gas leak
- A plumber came to fix the gas leak in the kitchen.
- a major gas leak
- A major gas leak closed the road for several hours.
- gas leak detector
- We installed a gas leak detector near the boiler.
Synonyms and how they differ
- escape
- A general word for something getting out; 'gas leak' is the specific everyday term for gas.
Word family
Commonly confused: gas leak or gasoline?
gas leak vs gasoline
Gasoline is the fuel (petrol in British English); a gas leak is about gas escaping, not about fuel itself.
Practice
If you think there is a gas leak in your home, what should you do first?
Choose one answer.
Leaving and calling from outside is the safe response; using a phone or turning on lights inside can create a spark. Lighting a match is extremely dangerous.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gas leak”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.