Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

drone

noun (1)
\ ˈdrōn \

Definition of drone

 (Entry 1 of 3)

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 : one that lives on the labors of others : parasite
3 : an unmanned aircraft or ship guided by remote control or onboard computers
4a : drudge sense 1
b : drudge sense 2 one of many office drones

drone

verb
droned; droning

Definition of drone (Entry 2 of 3)

intransitive verb

1a : to make a sustained deep murmuring, humming, or buzzing sound droning bees The air conditioner droned.
b : to talk in a persistently dull or monotonous tone droning on and on about his health
2 : to pass, proceed, or act in a dull, drowsy, or indifferent manner The afternoon droned on.

transitive verb

1 : to utter or pronounce with a drone
2 : to pass or spend in dull or monotonous activity or in idleness droning the years away

drone

noun (2)

Definition of drone (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : a deep sustained or monotonous sound : hum the drone of the motor
2 music : an instrument or part of an instrument (such as one of the fixed-pitch pipes of a bagpipe) that sounds a continuous unvarying tone
3 music : pedal point
Other Words from drone Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about drone

Keep scrolling for more

Other Words from drone

Verb

droner noun
droningly \ ˈdrō-​niŋ-​lē \ adverb

Synonyms for drone

Synonyms: Verb

bumble, burr, buzz, hum, whir (also whirr), whish, whiz (or whizz), zip, zoom

Visit the Thesaurus for More 

Examples of drone in a Sentence

Verb

 We could hear wasps droning in the garden. the sound of droning bees all around us

First Known Use of drone

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1520, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun (2)

circa 1520, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for drone

Noun (1), Verb, and Noun (2)

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about drone

Dictionary Entries near drone

Dromornis

dromos

-dromous

drone

drone bee

drone cell

drone fly

Statistics for drone

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for drone

The first known use of drone was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for drone

drone

verb

English Language Learners Definition of drone

: to make a continuous low humming sound

See the full definition for drone in the English Language Learners Dictionary

drone

noun
\ ˈdrōn \

Kids Definition of drone

 (Entry 1 of 3)

: a male bee

drone

verb
droned; droning

Kids Definition of drone (Entry 2 of 3)

: to make or to speak with a low dull tone or hum The speaker droned on and on.

drone

noun

Kids Definition of drone (Entry 3 of 3)

: a low dull tone or hum

Keep scrolling for more

More from Merriam-Webster on drone

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with drone

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for drone

Spanish Central: Translation of drone

Nglish: Translation of drone for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of drone for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about drone

Comments on drone

What made you want to look up drone? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

gibbous

irregularly rounded

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

What did you just call me?! A Quiz

  • rows-of-various-emoji
  • If a member of the audience describes your speech as bombastic, does that person mean it is:
True or False

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

TRENDING NOW

  1. feckless Former RNC chair derides Trump

  2. emergency, national emergency Trump declares crisis over wall

  3. apoplectic Bezos writes post about Pecker

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games