drone 1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈdrōn How to pronounce drone (audio)
Definition of dronenext
1
as in slug
a lazy person those drones just lie around while we do all the work

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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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

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2
as in to lazy
to spend time doing nothing instead of getting a job, he preferred to drone and live off his parents

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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
Noun
Once stationary, small assault squads can detach the generator to power field equipment, recharge communications gear, or top off FPV drone batteries right in the trench. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026 Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired 138 long-range drones as well as an unspecified number of missiles during the night, with damage recorded at 16 locations. — ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
Verb
Grey-zone tactics refer to a range of aggressive tactics varying from navy ship patrols to drone flights but fall short of direct combat. — ABC News, 24 June 2026 The sound of tattoo machines droning at different pitches filled the air at the fifth annual Capitol City Classic tattoo convention, on Saturday afternoon, the second day of its three-day run. — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 14 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for drone
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drone
  1. slug
  2. laborer
  3. hum
  4. buzz
  5. lounge
  6. snail
  7. worker
  8. purr
Noun
  • Mulch also helps suppress weeds and dissuades strawberry pests like slugs.
    — Michelle Mastro, Architectural Digest, 14 Aug. 2026
  • If your garden has been beset by destructive crawling insects like ants, beetles, and slugs, pesticides often seem like the clear solution.
    — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of slug
Noun
  • And the web of contractors, local inspectors, developers, laborers, chipmakers and site managers adds cost, complexity, risk – and delays.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Trump also got into trouble for hiring more than two hundred undocumented Polish laborers to handle the demolition.
    — Kai Bird, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of laborer
Noun
  • The bread machine works on a timer and hums along at its regular pace.
    — Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Aug. 2026
  • What’s next, what’s next, what’s next—that was the hungry hum under everything.
    — Emma Cline, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of hum
Verb
  • The lodge is usually buzzing with guests playing card games, enjoying daily happy hour, or sitting by the roaring fireplace.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Aug. 2026
  • In the now-notorious moment, Rock, 61, made a joke directed at Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s buzzed haircut.
    — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of buzz
Verb
  • Like people, the birds occasionally like to lounge in bed, sometimes not leaving the roost until midmorning or when dew is gone.
    — Tom Huggler, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026
  • This two-piece set was particularly designed for lounging and getting things done alike.
    — Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of lounge
Noun
  • Insects belong to the kingdom Animalia, along with mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, octopuses, snails, jellyfish, worms, and many other groups.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Chicks, in particular, eat large quantities of high-protein insect larvae, beetles, flies, snails, spiders and ants.
    — Tom Huggler, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of snail
Noun
  • The settlement will be paid by Hyundai Mobis, Kia and local staffing and recruitment agencies that helped find and bring the immigrant workers to Georgia on temporary visas.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • And in Pereira, a CNN team on the ground saw rescue workers and volunteers form a human chain to remove debris and help save those trapped from an apartment building.
    — Rocio Munoz, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of worker
Noun
  • Wafting odors of 100-octane gasoline and rumbling purrs of V8 engines punched through the overcast morning at Sonoma Raceway on Saturday as the Velocity Invitational car meet entered its second day.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 31 May 2026
  • But a growing body of research suggests some of the most therapeutic sounds on earth are already in your home — your cat’s purr, rain on the window, birdsong outside.
    — Allison Palmer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 May 2026
Definition of purr

Browse Nearby Words

drolls
drone
droned
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Cite this Entry

“Drone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drone. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on drone

Nglish: Translation of drone for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about drone

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