drone

¹

[ drohn ]

noun

1. the male of the honeybee and other bees, stingless and making no honey.
2. 1. an uncrewed military aircraft or ship that can navigate autonomously, without human control or beyond the line of sight:

      We picked up the GPS signal of a U.S. spy drone.

      They used a radio-controlled drone to test the weapon in an isolated spot.

   2. (loosely) any uncrewed airborne device, especially a small one, that is guided remotely: used for industrial, commercial, and recreational purposes, such as photography and filming, delivery, mining, etc.:

      The grocery company will test drones for home delivery and pickup.

3. a drudge:

   I don't want to be a drone who mindlessly does exactly what I'm told, but rather someone who asserts a little control in my work.

4. a person who lives on the labor of others; parasitic loafer:

   That lazy drone was asleep when he should have been weeding the garden.

drone

²

[ drohn ]

verb (used without object)

, droned, dron·ing.

1. to make a dull, continued, low, monotonous sound; hum; buzz.
2. to speak in a monotonous tone.
3. to proceed in a dull, monotonous manner (usually followed by on ):

   The meeting droned on for hours.

verb (used with object)

, droned, dron·ing.

1. to say in a dull, monotonous tone.

noun

1. Music.
   1. a continuous low tone produced by the bass pipes or bass strings of musical instruments.
   2. the pipes (especially of the bagpipe) or strings producing this tone.
   3. a bagpipe equipped with such pipes.
2. a monotonous low tone; humming or buzzing sound.
3. a person who speaks in a monotonous tone.

drone

¹

/ drəʊn /

verb

1. intr to make a monotonous low dull sound; buzz or hum
2. whenintr, often foll by on to utter (words) in a monotonous tone, esp to talk without stopping

noun

1. a monotonous low dull sound
2. music
   1. a sustained bass note or chord of unvarying pitch accompanying a melody
   2. ( as modifier )

      a drone bass

3. music one of the single-reed pipes in a set of bagpipes, used for accompanying the melody played on the chanter
4. a person who speaks in a low monotonous tone

drone

²

/ drəʊn /

noun

1. a male bee in a colony of social bees, whose sole function is to mate with the queen
2. a person who lives off the work of others
3. a pilotless radio-controlled aircraft

drone

/ drōn /

1. A male bee, especially a honeybee whose only function is to fertilize the queen. Drones have no stingers, do no work, and do not produce honey.

drone

1. In military usage, a pilotless aircraft used for reconnaissance and, more recently, for launching aerial attacks.

Derived Forms

• ˈdroning, adjective
• ˈdroningly, adverb
• ˈdronish, adjective

Other Words From

• dron·ish adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of drone¹

First recorded before 1000; 1945–50 drone ¹fordef 2a; Middle English drone, drane, Old English dran, dron; akin to Old High German treno, German Drohne

Origin of drone²

First recorded in 1490–1500; from drone ¹; compare Middle English drounen “to boom, roar,” Icelandic drynja “to bellow,” Gothic drunjus “noise”

Word History and Origins

Origin of drone¹

C16: related to drone ¹and Middle Dutch drōnen, German dröhnen

Origin of drone²

Old English drān; related to Old High German treno drone, Gothic drunjus noise, Greek tenthrēnē wasp; see drone ²

Example Sentences

The USAF, which uses the bases, said it was unclear at this stage whether the drones were considered hostile.

From BBC

Government sources emphasise long-term commitments the UK has already made, particularly supporting Ukraine with drones.

From BBC

Steinmetz inched his drone up and back for a downward diagonal view on Aaron and his animal, until Mark returned: “I think that’ll be enough for today.”

From New York Times

But drones and a few brave souls who lowered themselves into places untouched since dinosaurs roamed the Earth have revealed new treasures - and turned China’s sinkholes into a tourist attraction.

From BBC

“Without those technologies, those weapons would not fly. The brain of those ballistic missiles, the brain of those kamikaze drones, are made of Western technology,” she says.

From BBC

Related Words

• purr
• whirr