DRONING Synonyms: 97 Similar and Opposite Words

droning

verb

present participle of drone

as in humming

to fly, turn, or move rapidly with a fluttering or vibratory sound the sound of droning bees all around us

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in idling

to spend time doing nothing instead of getting a job, he preferred to drone and live off his parents

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of droning There’s no sound more evocative of summer than that of an old-school ice cream maker’s motor droning its monotonous naaaaaaaa with the backbeat of gas station ice and rock salt grinding and shifting against the spinning ice cream cannister. —

Josh Miller, Southern Living, 31 May 2026 Here, a morning coffee on the sea-view private sun terrace comes complete with diving swifts and droning dragonflies, not to mention the sound of pulling tides. —

Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 May 2026 The constant, incessant, droning sounds in between each pitch that blare from the sound system are manufactured slop, screeching ‘NEW YORKKKKKKKK! —

Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2026 Teak Didgeridoo Didgeridoos are wind instruments originating from Indigenous Australian culture and are typically used for rhythmic, droning sound production. —

Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 9 Apr. 2026 The conventional gearbox also avoids the droning often associated with continuously variable transmissions (CVTs). —

New Atlas, 29 Mar. 2026 The album opens with droning, distorted guitars, a funereal chug enlivened by unexpectedly gargantuan drums. —

Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 18 Mar. 2026 The muses of these two shows felt titillatingly out of reach, an arch if mischievous contrast to the many designers droning backstage about wanting to dress real women (and then giving them completely boring clothes). —

Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 12 Mar. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for droning

Verb

That's what an increasing number of Americans are saying about data centers, huge, energy-sapping, constantly humming, resource-draining facilities needed to power artificial intelligence.

— Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 4 June 2026
The event may not be about politics, but politics will be humming in the background regardless.

— Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2026