drones 1 of 3

noun (1)

plural of drone
1
as in slugs
a lazy person those drones just lie around while we do all the work

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2
as in laborers
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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drones

2 of 3

noun (2)

plural of drone
as in hums
a monotonous sound like that of an insect in motion heard the drone of an airplane overhead

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

drones

3 of 3

verb

present tense third-person singular of drone
1
as in buzzes
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 lounges
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 drones
Noun
There’s not a whole lot that can be done to harden them against bombs and drones. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026 Kuwait said on Saturday that Iranian forces launched a wave of drones within its airspace, with its military destroying multiple aircraft after Iran targeted critical infrastructure in the country's north. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 3 Aug. 2026 Not long afterward, the group heard drones in the sky and started moving again, perhaps to evade capture by the military. — Alexis Okeowo, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026 Jaunt Air Mobility now plans to address that challenge with a new battery system for its next-generation VTOL drones that promises liquid-cooling performance without the complexity of liquid cooling. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Aug. 2026 And both Yanbu, on the western coast of Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates’ own bypass pipeline from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah were targeted by missiles and drones in the first phase of the Iran war. — Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, The Conversation, 3 Aug. 2026 The points can then be redeemed in an online government marketplace for more drones that are put to use in combat. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026 Iran has learned to mass-produce cheap drones—ones that the Russians first imported and now produce themselves. — Phillips Payson O’Brien, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2026 Toshiba announced Friday plans to jointly develop combat drones with startup Pro Drone. — ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drones
  1. slugs
  2. laborers
  3. hums
  4. buzzes
  5. bums
  6. snails
  7. workers
  8. purrs
Noun
  • 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
  • Baking soda can help prevent powdery mildew, kill weeds, repel slugs, and clean produce, but must be used sparingly.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 July 2026
Definition of slugs
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 laborers
Noun
  • The seventh-floor lobby hums with Adorn Bar and Lounge, coworking tables, and live music Thursday through Sunday.
    — Rima Suqi, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 July 2026
  • That screened out background hums and consistent noise, but could never cope with dynamic audio spikes.
    — Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of hums
Verb
  • While Ramses may continue its operations for a number of months, NASA’s OSIRIS-APEX mission—the name for the extended mission of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, which sampled the asteroid Bennu—is set to swoop in after Apophis buzzes Earth.
    — Andrew Jones, Scientific American, 30 July 2026
  • Your social world buzzes with activity as Mercury and Venus harmonize in the skies.
    — USA TODAY, USA Today, 24 July 2026
Definition of buzzes
Verb
  • Critical thinking really bums them out.
    — Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Then Jason and Thor shower together, each lathering the other’s back and bums up with fewer orgasms than an old Herbal Essences commercial.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2026
Definition of bums
Noun
  • There's a protective mucus that the snails use to seal themselves inside their shells in the winter.
    — Ari Daniel, NPR, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The lubricating substance allows snails to stick to the ground more easily and travel more smoothly.
    — Laura Dorwart, Health, 22 July 2026
Definition of snails
Noun
  • Aid agencies say mistrust, misinformation about Ebola, and resistance to restrictions on traditional burial practices have fueled hostility toward health workers and complicated efforts to contain the outbreak.
    — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Neighbors and workers in the area said the 18-year-old was filming a video for social media.
    — Ubah Ali, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of workers
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
  • Honey is ready to bring love, purrs and playful cuddles to her forever home.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Mar. 2026
Definition of purrs

Browse Nearby Words

droners
drones
droning
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Cite this Entry

“Drones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drones. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of drones for Spanish Speakers

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