Dictionary.com

drone

1
[ drohn ]
/ droʊn /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: drone / droned / droning on Thesaurus.com
noun
the male of the honeybee and other bees, stingless and making no honey.
  1. an unmanned aircraft or ship that can navigate autonomously, without human control or beyond line of sight: the GPS of a U.S. spy drone.
  2. (loosely) any unmanned aircraft or ship that is guided remotely: a radio-controlled drone.
a person who lives on the labor of others; parasitic loafer.
a drudge.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
candystring
candyfloss
candypuff
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of drone

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

OTHER WORDS FROM drone

dronish, adjective

Other definitions for drone (2 of 2)

drone2
[ drohn ]
/ droʊn /
verb (used without object), droned, dron·ing.
to make a dull, continued, low, monotonous sound; hum; buzz.
to speak in a monotonous tone.
to proceed in a dull, monotonous manner (usually followed by on): The meeting droned on for hours.
verb (used with object), droned, dron·ing.
to say in a dull, monotonous tone.
noun

Origin of drone

2
First recorded in 1490–1500; from drone1; compare Middle English drounen “to boom, roar,” Icelandic drynja “to bellow,” Gothic drunjus “noise”

OTHER WORDS FROM drone

droner, noundron·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to drone

purr, whirr, idler, leech, loafer, lounger, parasite, slug, sluggard, sponger, buzz, hum, murmur, sound, vibration, bombinate, chant, drawl, intone, nasalize

British Dictionary definitions for drone (1 of 2)

drone1
/ (drəʊn) /
noun
a male bee in a colony of social bees, whose sole function is to mate with the queen
British a person who lives off the work of others
a pilotless radio-controlled aircraft

Derived forms of drone

dronish, adjective

Word Origin for drone

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

British Dictionary definitions for drone (2 of 2)

drone2
/ (drəʊn) /
verb
(intr) to make a monotonous low dull sound; buzz or hum
(when intr, often foll by on) to utter (words) in a monotonous tone, esp to talk without stopping
noun
a monotonous low dull sound
music
  1. a sustained bass note or chord of unvarying pitch accompanying a melody
  2. (as modifier)a drone bass
music one of the single-reed pipes in a set of bagpipes, used for accompanying the melody played on the chanter
a person who speaks in a low monotonous tone

Derived forms of drone

droning, adjectivedroningly, adverb

Word Origin for drone

C16: related to drone 1 and Middle Dutch drōnen, German dröhnen
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for drone

drone
[ drōn ]
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for drone

drone

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

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
FEEDBACK