seeped; seeping; seeps
1
: to flow or pass slowly through fine pores or small openings : ooze
water seeped in through a crack
2
a
: to enter or penetrate slowly
fear of nuclear war had seeped into the national consciousness—
Tip O'Neill
Tip O'Neill
b
: to become diffused or spread
a sadness seeped through his being—Agnes S. Turnbull
Agnes S. Turnbull1
a
: a spot where a fluid (such as water, oil, or gas) contained in the ground oozes slowly to the surface and often forms a pool
b
: a small spring
2
: seepage
Synonyms
Examples of seep in a Sentence
Verb
Blood was seeping through the bandage.
The chemicals seeped into the ground.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sierra Lopez, The Mercury News, 19 Nov. 2024
A certain level of government bureaucracy seems to seep into the festival’s workings.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2024
Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2024
The volunteers eagerly started plucking and heaving the rocks down to the grassy seep, where Tucson resident Stacy Goodrich soon had her two teens, Kameron and Riley, pressing rocks into the mud.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for seep 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Specific concerns centered around possible development of parts of the park, a possibility that staff said was never proposed given that the park sits on top of an old landfill covered by a cap that’s meant to prevent toxins from seeping into the San Francisco Bay.
—Sierra Lopez, The Mercury News, 19 Nov. 2024
A certain level of government bureaucracy seems to seep into the festival’s workings.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2024
Noun
If the acidic water from a seep reaches an alkaline river or stream, its pH will rise, and the iron will fall out as what miners would call yellow boy.
—Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2024
The volunteers eagerly started plucking and heaving the rocks down to the grassy seep, where Tucson resident Stacy Goodrich soon had her two teens, Kameron and Riley, pressing rocks into the mud.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for seep
Dictionary Entries Near seep
Cite this Entry
“Seep.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seep. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share