drone
1the male of the honeybee and other bees, stingless and making no honey.
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.
(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.
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.
a person who lives on the labor of others; parasitic loafer: That lazy drone was asleep when he should have been weeding the garden.
Origin of drone
1Other words from drone
- dron·ish, 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. 2024
How to use drone in a sentence
We are helping young startups that are working on a solar autonomous drone.
Leveraging collective intelligence and AI to benefit society | Jason Sparapani | November 18, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewNow the high school freshman doesn’t just fly his drones, he builds them.
Drone-racing passion propels teen to the sport’s top ranks | Fred Bowen | November 4, 2020 | Washington PostJesse Marx reports that the Federal Aviation Administration had concerns about the safety of the flight and was preparing for the possibility that the drone, while in the air, lost connection or malfunctioned, which is not uncommon for drones.
Morning Report: Drone Test Flight Over San Diego Is Off | Voice of San Diego | October 26, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoHundreds of pages of emails also show that regulators had safety concerns about the drone and expressed frustration over the timeline they’d been given.
Drone Test Flight Moved Out of San Diego Following Safety Concerns | Jesse Marx | October 26, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoThe Navy had its own carrier-based drone effort, which after successes in early testing morphed into a robotic refueling tanker program.
SITREP: With “Skyborg,” Air Force hopes to give pilots a “loyal wingman” | Sean Gallagher | October 6, 2020 | Ars Technica
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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