Drone — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈdrōn/

Meaning & Definition of Drone

Drone (noun)

  1. a stingless male bee (as of the honeybee) that has the role of mating with the queen and does not gather nectar or pollen
  2. an uncrewed aircraft or vessel guided by remote control or onboard computers
  3. a small remotely operated rotorcraft usually with a mounted camera
  4. a deep sustained or monotonous sound, hum
  5. an instrument or part of an instrument (such as one of the fixed-pitch pipes of a bagpipe) that sounds a continuous unvarying tone
  6. pedal point

Drone (verb)

  1. to make a sustained deep murmuring, humming, or buzzing sound
  2. to talk in a persistently dull or monotonous tone
  3. to pass, proceed, or act in a dull, drowsy, or indifferent manner

Drone (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a lazy person

    "those drones just lie around while we do all the work"

    similar: couch potato, deadbeat, do-nothing, idler, layabout, lazybones, loafer, lotus-eater, slouch, slug, slugabed, sluggard
    related: bum, good-for-nothing, ne'er-do-well, crawler, creeper, dawdler, laggard, putterer, slowpoke, snail, stick-in-the-mud, straggler, clock-watcher, goldbrick, malingerer, shirker, slacker, dallier, lingerer, loiterer, loller, lounger, saunterer, delayer, procrastinator, dropout, quitter
    opposite: doer, go-ahead, go-getter, hummer, hustler, self-starter
    near: achiever, comer, highflier, live wire, powerhouse

  2. a person who does very hard or dull work

    "after lunch my fellow drones and I shuffle back to our cubicles"

    similar: dogsbody (chiefly British), drudge, drudger, foot soldier, grub, grubber, grunt, laborer, peon, plugger, slave, slogger, toiler, worker
    related: workhorse, serf
    near: goldbrick, shirker, idler, lazybones, loafer, slouch, slug, sluggard

  3. a monotonous sound like that of an insect in motion

    "heard the drone of an airplane overhead"

    similar: burr, buzz, chirr, churr, hum, purr, thrum, whir, whiz, zoom
    related: babble, coo, gasp, gurgle, hiss, moan, murmur, rustle, sigh, suspiration, susurration, susurrus, whisper, whish, zing, zip
    near: bawl, howl, roar, scream, screech, shriek, squall, squeal, yelp, yell

Drone (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to fly, turn, or move rapidly with a fluttering or vibratory sound

    "the sound of droning bees all around us"

    similar: bumble, burr, buzz, hum, whir, whish, whiz, zip, zoom
    related: chirr, churr, thrum, fizz, hiss, murmur, purr, rustle, sigh, sizzle, swish, whisper, coo, curr, wheeze, whistle, whoosh

  2. to spend time doing nothing

    "instead of getting a job, he preferred to drone and live off his parents"

    similar: bum, chill, dally, dawdle, dillydally, footle, goof (off), hack (around), hang (around or out), hang about (British), idle, kick around, kick back, laze, lazy, loaf, loll, lounge, veg out, kill time, twiddle one's thumbs
    related: fiddle (around), fool, mess, monkey, muck, piddle, play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle, doze, estivate, hibernate, lag, linger, loiter, poke, relax, rest, tarry, amble, mosey, saunter, stroll, swan, furlough, goldbrick, malinger, truant
    near: drudge, grind, grub, hump, hustle, labor, moil, peg, plod, plow, plug, slave, sweat, toil, travail, work, apply, buckle (down), exert, put out

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Drone

The most common words with a similar meaning to Drone:

Chiefly British: dogsbody
British: hang about
couch potato, deadbeat, do-nothing, idler, layabout, lazybones, loafer, lotus-eater, slouch, slug, slugabed, sluggard, drudge, drudger, foot soldier, grub, grubber, grunt, laborer, peon, plugger, slave, slogger, toiler, worker, burr, buzz, chirr, churr, hum, purr, thrum, whir, whiz, zoom, bumble, whish, zip, bum, chill

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Drone

Words with the opposite meaning of Drone:

doer, go-ahead, go-getter, hummer, hustler, self-starter

Related Words for Drone

good-for-nothing, ne'er-do-well, crawler, creeper, dawdler, laggard, putterer, slowpoke, snail, stick-in-the-mud, straggler, clock-watcher, goldbrick, malingerer, shirker, slacker, dallier, lingerer, loiterer, loller, lounger, saunterer, delayer, procrastinator, dropout, quitter, workhorse, serf, babble, coo

Near Antonyms of Drone

achiever, comer, highflier, live wire, powerhouse, goldbrick, shirker, idler, lazybones, loafer, slouch, slug, sluggard, bawl, howl, roar, scream, screech, shriek, squall, squeal, yelp, yell, drudge, grind, grub, hump, hustle, labor, moil

Word Forms of Drone

Inflections: drones, droned, droning

Derived words: droner (noun), droningly (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Drone

Middle English, from Old English drān; akin to Old High German treno drone, Greek thrēnos dirge

First known use: before 12th century

Words & Phrases Containing Drone

drone on

Frequently Asked Questions about Drone

What does "Drone" mean?

"Drone" means a stingless male bee (as of the honeybee) that has the role of mating with the queen and does not gather nectar or pollen. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: a stingless male bee (as of the honeybee) that has the role of mating with the queen and does not gather nectar or pollen. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Drone"?

Other words for "Drone" include couch potato, deadbeat, do-nothing, idler, layabout, lazybones, loafer and lotus-eater. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Drone" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Drone"?

There are 137 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Drone". Common alternatives include couch potato, deadbeat, do-nothing, idler, layabout, lazybones, loafer, lotus-eater, slouch and slug.

What is the opposite of "Drone"?

Antonyms of "Drone" include doer, go-ahead, go-getter, hummer, hustler and self-starter. Near antonyms include achiever, comer, highflier and live wire.

How do you use "Drone" in a sentence?

Examples of "Drone" in a sentence: "those drones just lie around while we do all the work"; "after lunch my fellow drones and I shuffle back to our cubicles"; "heard the drone of an airplane overhead".

Is "Drone" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Drone" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Drone"?

"Drone" is pronounced /ˈdrōn/.

What is the origin of the word "Drone"?

"Drone" comes from Middle English, from Old English drān; akin to Old High German treno drone, Greek thrēnos dirge. First known use: before 12th century.