drone
1the male of the honeybee and other bees, stingless and making no honey.
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.
(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.
Origin of drone
1Other words from drone
- dronish, adjective
Other definitions for drone (2 of 2)
to proceed in a dull, monotonous manner (usually followed by on): The meeting droned on for hours.
to say in a dull, monotonous tone.
Music.
a continuous low tone produced by the bass pipes or bass strings of musical instruments.
the pipes (especially of the bagpipe) or strings producing this tone.
a bagpipe equipped with such pipes.
a monotonous low tone; humming or buzzing sound.
a person who speaks in a monotonous tone.
Origin of drone
2Other words from drone
- droner, noun
- dron·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use drone in a sentence
This solar autonomous drone is due to perform and operate missions, like forest fire detection.
Leveraging collective intelligence and AI to benefit society | Jason Sparapani | November 18, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewA sky full of the high-pitched buzzing heard in drones currently on the market would no doubt set a whole city’s teeth on edge.
Delivery drones could drive us batty—unless they take some sonic cues from owls | PopSci Staff | November 10, 2020 | Popular-ScienceIn competitions, the racers or pilots wear special goggles that allow them to see what the drone “sees” as it flies over, under and around obstacles on a racecourse.
Drone-racing passion propels teen to the sport’s top ranks | Fred Bowen | November 4, 2020 | Washington PostThose sperm cells came from male drone bees the queen had mated with when she was about two weeks old.
Learning what stresses queen bees could save their hives | Sharon Oosthoek | October 30, 2020 | Science News For StudentsThat means having tools like “spider-bots” and drones nearby and ready for anyone to use.
‘Watch Dogs: Legion’ review in progress: Virtual London is legit, but story’s a snooze so far | Gene Park | October 28, 2020 | Washington Post
As speakers droned on from the podium doing the preliminary parliamentary business of the convention, a game show process began.
I got very angry listening to that as CNN inside the Embassy droned on and on about all the trapped all the dead all the hurting.
For three long hours I had to sit there and listen to the children as they droned over and over their lessons.
The Soldier of the Valley | Nelson LloydThe ecclesiastic's voice droned on, his voice hanging like the hum of some great Insect upon the scented air.
Mistress Wilding | Rafael SabatiniThe bees droned, and the wheeling buzzard suddenly dropped like a plummet a hundred yards through the larkspur blue.
Mushroom Town | Oliver OnionsBeetles droned, flying conspicuously upright, straight on end, through the warm air.
The History of Sir Richard Calmady | Lucas MaletThe rockets were slowly cut; the borer jarred at the bottom of its hole; again the disintegrators droned out.
Astounding Stories, April, 1931 | Various
British Dictionary definitions for drone (1 of 2)
/ (drəʊn) /
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
Origin of drone
1Derived forms of drone
- dronish, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for drone (2 of 2)
/ (drəʊn) /
(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
a monotonous low dull sound
music
a sustained bass note or chord of unvarying pitch accompanying a melody
(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
Origin of drone
2Derived forms of drone
- droning, adjective
- droningly, adverb
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
[ 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
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.
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