Synonyms of drone

drone 1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈdrōn 

1

as in slug

a lazy person

those drones just lie around while we do all the work

Synonyms & Similar Words

• slug
• snail
• bum
• loafer
• couch potato
• idler
• slouch
• deadbeat
• sluggard
• do-nothing
• layabout
• lotus-eater
• crawler
• lazybones
• slugabed
• creeper
• delayer
• good-for-nothing
• straggler
• lingerer
• laggard
• loiterer
• saunterer
• shirker
• dawdler
• slowpoke
• putterer
• slacker
• goldbrick
• loller
• clock-watcher
• stick-in-the-mud
• dropout
• ne'er-do-well
• lounger
• malingerer
• dallier
• procrastinator
• quitter

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hummer
• doer
• hustler
• go-ahead
• self-starter
• comer
• powerhouse
• achiever
• live wire
• go-getter
• highflier

2

as in laborer

a person who does very hard or dull work

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• laborer
• worker
• slave
• peon
• foot soldier
• grunt
• toiler
• grubber
• plugger
• grub
• drudge
• drudger
• slogger
• dogsbody
• serf
• workhorse

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• shirker
• slug
• idler
• loafer
• slouch
• sluggard
• goldbrick
• lazybones

drone

2 of 3

noun (2)

as in hum

a monotonous sound like that of an insect in motion

heard the drone of an airplane overhead

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hum
• purr
• buzz
• whisper
• rustle
• thrum
• zoom
• whir
• sigh
• chirr
• moan
• whiz
• burr
• churr
• murmur
• babble
• gurgle
• gasp
• hiss
• coo
• susurrus
• susurration
• zip
• suspiration
• zing
• whish

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• roar
• scream
• screech
• shriek
• squall
• yell
• howl
• squeal
• yelp
• bawl

drone

3 of 3

verb

1

as in to hum

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

the sound of droning bees all around us

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

2

as in to lazy

to spend time doing nothing

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lazy
• lounge
• veg out
• chill
• idle
• bum
• rest
• hack (around)
• goof (off)
• kill time
• loaf
• play
• kick back
• stroll
• poke
• relax
• hang about
• dillydally
• hang (around or out)
• muck
• footle
• laze
• dawdle
• loll
• twiddle one's thumbs
• kick around
• mess
• monkey
• estivate
• trifle
• fool
• potter (around)
• fiddle (around)
• swan
• loiter
• hibernate
• linger
• lag
• piddle
• dally
• doze
• putter (around)
• saunter
• amble
• truant
• mosey
• malinger
• furlough
• goldbrick
• tarry

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• slave
• work
• labor
• plow
• grind
• toil
• plug
• hustle
• sweat
• plod
• apply
• buckle (down)
• grub
• drudge
• peg
• hump
• put out
• travail
• exert
• moil

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of drone

Noun

The Pentagon and Israel's military say those strikes have severely degraded Iran's ability to launch missile and drone attacks, though Iranian missiles have continued to cause damage and claim lives in Gulf states and Israel this week. —CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026

Russia fired almost 400 long-range drones at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine’s air force said, in its biggest attack in weeks. —ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026

Verb

Whereas the film is madcap and edgy—even bratty—the Wuthering Heights album is sullen and stately, built upon strings and droning electronics. —Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2026

As far as Garland’s projects go, Devs comes closest to matching the paranoia and droning anxiety of the multi-hyphenate’s literary work. —Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Jan. 2026