drone
1 Americannoun
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the male of the honeybee and other bees, stingless and making no honey.
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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.
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(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.
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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.
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a person who lives on the labor of others; parasitic loafer.
That lazy drone was asleep when he should have been weeding the garden.
verb (used without object)
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drones,
present (3rd person singular)
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droned,
past participle, past
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droning
present participle
verb (used with object)
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drones,
present (3rd person singular)
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droned,
past participle, past
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droning
present participle
noun
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Music.
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a continuous low tone produced by the bass pipes or bass strings of musical instruments.
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the pipes (especially of the bagpipe) or strings producing this tone.
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a bagpipe equipped with such pipes.
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a monotonous low tone; humming or buzzing sound.
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a person who speaks in a monotonous tone.
noun
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a male bee in a colony of social bees, whose sole function is to mate with the queen
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a person who lives off the work of others
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a pilotless radio-controlled aircraft
verb
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(intr) to make a monotonous low dull sound; buzz or hum
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to utter (words) in a monotonous tone, esp to talk without stopping
noun
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a monotonous low dull sound
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music
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a sustained bass note or chord of unvarying pitch accompanying a melody
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( as modifier )
a drone bass
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music one of the single-reed pipes in a set of bagpipes, used for accompanying the melody played on the chanter
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a person who speaks in a low monotonous tone
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
dronesimple
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dronessimple
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have dronedperfect
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has dronedperfect
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am droningprogressive
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are droningprogressive
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is droningprogressive
-
have been droningperfect progressive
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has been droningperfect progressive
Past
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dronedsimple
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had dronedperfect
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was droningprogressive
-
were droningprogressive
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had been droningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of drone1
First recorded before 1000; 1945–50 drone 1 for def. 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”
Explanation
To drone is to make a low, continuous noise that sounds like humming or buzzing. On summer nights, you might hear cicadas drone, and on snowy winter mornings, hear your neighbor's snow blower drone. Like animals and machines, people drone too, their voices sounding dull and tedious: "When my history teacher drones on, it's hard to stay awake." Drone is also a noun, meaning the monotonous sound itself, like the drone of a boring lecture; or a male worker bee; or a person who's as unambitious as a worker bee. Finally, there are the drones that fly by remote control, doing surveillance, gathering weather information, and occasionally firing missiles for the military.
Vocabulary lists containing drone
A Long Walk to Water
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Instead of "Said": Words That Sound Like What They Mean
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"Of Mice and Men"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
US forces responded to possible unauthorized drone activity over a military base in Britain Friday, spokespeople from the two countries said, in the latest security incident at a facility hosting American warplanes.
From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2026
The US Air Force said it has responded to "suspected unauthorised drone activity" over RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk this evening.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2026
A post on the official RAF Lakenheath Facebook page earlier this week urged people to report "suspicious activity, including unauthorized drone activity."
From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2026
The drone was able to complete the mission using preprogrammed coordinates, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026
“Any new developments from the drone reports, Chancellor?”
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Swarms of autonomous drones -- which "aim to neutralise an adversary through saturation" -- would be highly effective, and some states view them as a crucial strategic advantage, said Rickli.
From Barron's ● Nov. 14, 2026
New York's fire department declared Thursday afternoon there were no further victims at the site after emergency workers spent hours searching with drones and dogs.
From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2026
Earlier, the Ukrainian leader said that the military was facing more "systematic" restrictions to Starlink's military-grade satellite service, Starshield, meaning Kyiv was struggling to intercept Russian jet-powered drones.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2026
He added that the throttling has caused “a significant complication” for intercepting high-speed jet drones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026
“Ah’m thinkin’ dat might be mighty fine, Miz Addie,” DuShawn drones.
From "The Misfits" by James Howe
At one event, in which Oz was interviewed by Dean Cain, an actor who played Superman in a 1990s television show, about 50 people listened in as Oz droned on about an anti-fraud task force.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
“Now bring it up to your heartspace, connecting to your heart,” she continued, as ambient music droned in the background.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2025
Yet, Carlson’s listless approach to the Russian dictator, who droned on endlessly, proved a wasted opportunity.
From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2024
That excitement was not evident inside the grand ballroom at the JW Marriott in Houston Sunday, as Harbaugh droned on about nature documentaries he shows his team on the day of a game.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 7, 2024
No birds sang in the trees, no frogs droned in the ponds.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
“Mono,” mostly the singer and shrieking strings, brings to mind David Bowie in late-’70s art-rock mode, while on “Easy Street” Mr. Homme channels the wailing desperation of Bryan Ferry over a droning guitar solo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
“Ups & Downs” is an instrumental with a droning keyboard—perhaps a harmonium—along with a clarinet and clattering percussion that sounds like a drum kit being slowly unpacked from its case.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
Dillon also mocked his critics during the episode, impersonating them in a droning voice: “They don’t believe in anything, these people.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2025
"It is a very low humming, droning, pulsating noise. It's incredibly intrusive and distressing," she said.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2025
And wasn’t it better to explore and work them out in a rockin’ musical than in some droning, hectoring lecture from their teachers or parents?
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
