Synonyms of drone

drone 1 of 4

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
• achiever
• powerhouse
• live wire
• go-getter
• highflyer
• 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 4

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
• whirr
• rustle
• thrum
• zoom
• whir
• burr
• sigh
• chirr
• whizz
• whiz
• murmur
• churr
• moan
• 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 4

verb (1)

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
• whirr
• burr
• whizz
• whir
• whisper
• zoom
• whiz
• whistle
• bumble
• hiss
• whish
• thrum
• purr
• chirr
• coo
• sigh
• churr
• murmur
• fizz
• rustle
• wheeze
• 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
• chill
• veg out
• idle
• bum
• rest
• hack (around)
• goof (off)
• kill time
• loaf
• play
• kick back
• stroll
• poke
• relax
• hang about
• dillydally
• hang (around or out)
• muck
• laze
• footle
• dawdle
• loll
• kick around
• twiddle one's thumbs
• mess
• monkey
• estivate
• trifle
• fool
• potter (around)
• fiddle (around)
• swan
• loiter
• linger
• hibernate
• lag
• piddle
• dally
• doze
• putter (around)
• aestivate
• 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

droning

4 of 4

verb (2)

present participle of drone

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

• humming
• buzzing
• zipping
• whirring
• whispering
• hissing
• whizzing
• burring
• sighing
• whistling
• murmuring
• zooming
• bumbling
• thrumming
• whishing
• purring
• chirring
• cooing
• churring
• wheezing
• rustling
• swishing
• fizzing
• curring
• whooshing
• sizzling

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

• idling
• chilling
• lounging
• playing
• dawdling
• loafing
• resting
• lolling
• poking
• bumming
• relaxing
• lazing
• strolling
• dillydallying
• footling
• lingering
• mucking
• lazying
• hanging (around or out)
• messing
• hacking (around)
• vegging out
• goofing (off)
• dallying
• killing time
• kicking back
• hanging about
• dozing
• monkeying
• piddling
• twiddling one's thumbs
• fooling
• kicking around
• ambling
• sauntering
• trifling
• hibernating
• loitering
• estivating
• fiddling (around)
• lagging
• puttering (around)
• pottering (around)
• aestivating
• swanning
• moseying
• tarrying
• malingering
• goldbricking
• truanting
• furloughing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• grinding
• plodding
• laboring
• working
• plowing
• toiling
• sweating
• plugging
• hustling
• slaving
• grubbing
• humping
• pegging
• drudging
• applying
• buckling (down)
• moiling
• travailing
• exerting
• putting out

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of drone

Noun

Russia struck Kyiv with drone and ballistic missiles overnight Thursday, according to the Kyiv City Military Administration. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2025

Robotics and drone competitions offer a solution by providing students with real-world and hands-on experiences in emerging technologies like coding, AI and automation. —Dan Mantz, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025

Verb

Want to drone out the rumbling of airplane jet engines or the chatter on trains? —Asia London Palomba, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2024

That quality is maintained first and foremost by a desolate whistling-wind sound effect in the background of all the scenes, along with a sustained droning musical score. —Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 14 Mar. 2025