1
as in slug
a lazy person
those drones just lie around while we do all the work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in hum
a monotonous sound like that of an insect in motion
heard the drone of an airplane overhead
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
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
2
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 drone
Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2025
Treating drones as conventional aircraft would allow the State Department to clear sales more quickly.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Sep. 2025
Jim Ryan, Forbes.com, 26 July 2025
Recent successes in applying computer vision and machine learning to drone imagery for rapidly determining building and road damage after hurricanes or shifting wildfire lines suggest that artificial intelligence could be valuable in searching for missing persons after a flood.
—Robin R. Murphy, The Conversation, 16 July 2025
Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drone
Noun
In renewable energy, the method has been used to assess the turbulent wake effects of wind turbines, helping inform safe placement of turbine fields while reducing risks for nearby aircraft, drones, and wildlife.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2025
Treating drones as conventional aircraft would allow the State Department to clear sales more quickly.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
Wylde seemed right at home recreating the droning opening dirge as the band slowed down into a stellar stoney groove throughout a standout moment Saturday night.
—Jim Ryan, Forbes.com, 26 July 2025
Recent successes in applying computer vision and machine learning to drone imagery for rapidly determining building and road damage after hurricanes or shifting wildfire lines suggest that artificial intelligence could be valuable in searching for missing persons after a flood.
—Robin R. Murphy, The Conversation, 16 July 2025
Verb
The glint and thrum of Y2K aesthetics—as contrasted with the droning conservatism of the white-collar office—read as anticipatory rather than melancholic, looking toward a future liberated from systems of old.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drone
Cite this Entry
“Drone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drone. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share