drone
/drəʊn/ (bre, ipa) · /drəʊn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈdrōn/ (ame, mw) · /droʊn/ (ame, ipa)
drone — noun
- dronesingular
- dronesplural
1. a small flying machine that operates without a human pilot inside; a person on t
a small flying machine that operates without a human pilot inside; a person on the ground directs its movement using a remote controller or a mobile app
A farmer in Kenya used a drone to check his crops from the air.
The film crew flew a drone over the coast for aerial shots of the beach.
collocation: fly a drone / use a drone
The delivery company is testing drones that drop packages at people's front doors.
Rescue workers sent a drone into the damaged building to look for survivors.
Hobbyists must follow strict rules when flying a drone near an airport.
- UAV
formal abbreviation for 'unmanned aerial vehicle'; used in military and technical contexts, not in casual speech
- quadcopter
a specific type of drone with four rotors; narrower in meaning
用法筆記
This is now the dominant meaning of the word in everyday conversation. Often used with verbs like 'fly,' 'operate,' or 'pilot.'
常見錯誤
2. a deep, steady sound that continues at the same pitch for a long time, such as t
a deep, steady sound that continues at the same pitch for a long time, such as the noise made by an engine, a machine, or people talking from a distance
From her window, Mei-Lin could hear the steady drone of traffic on the highway.
steady drone of [something]
The only sound in the library was the low drone of the air conditioning unit.
Visitors to the factory found the constant drone of the machines hard to ignore.
The drone of the refrigerator motor kept little Tomo awake during the hot night.
Omar could hear the distant drone of voices from the crowd at the stadium.
用法筆記
Typically used with 'of' to indicate the source of the sound (e.g., 'the drone of an engine'). Describes sounds that are low-pitched and unchanging, not high or intermittent.
常見錯誤
3. a long, low musical tone that stays at the same pitch while a melody is performe
a long, low musical tone that stays at the same pitch while a melody is performed above it; a common feature in bagpipe music and some folk traditions
The bagpiper played a lively tune over the deep drone of the instrument's pipes.
play over a drone
In Indian classical music, the tanpura provides a constant drone that supports the singer.
Amara loved how the drone of the bagpipes gave the music a rich, full feeling.
The drone note stayed the same while the melody moved up and down.
- pedal point
a classical music term for the same technique where a bass note is held while harmonies change above it; more technical
- drone note
an exact synonym, often used to avoid confusion with the aircraft sense
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 4: this sense refers to the note or sound itself, not the physical part of an instrument. Common in discussions of bagpipes, Indian classical instruments, and early music.
4. a pipe, reed, or section of a musical instrument that produces a steady bass ton
a pipe, reed, or section of a musical instrument that produces a steady bass tone behind the melody, especially the large pipes of a set of bagpipes
The bagpiper replaced one of the drone reeds before the competition started.
drone reed / drone pipe (physical parts)
Henrik spent an afternoon learning how to tune the drones on his bagpipes.
The instrument has three drones that sit across the player's shoulder.
A problem with the bass drone made the whole set of bagpipes sound odd.
- drone pipe
a more specific term for the physical pipe on a bagpipe
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 3: sense 3 is the musical NOTE or sound; sense 4 is the physical COMPONENT of the instrument. You adjust a 'drone' (the part) but you listen to 'a drone' (the sound).
5. a male honeybee whose main role in the colony is to mate with the queen; drones
a male honeybee whose main role in the colony is to mate with the queen; drones do not have a stinger and do not collect food or nectar
Unlike worker bees, the drone has no stinger and cannot defend the hive.
drone vs. worker bee — no stinger
Beekeepers often notice that drones gather near the entrance of the hive on warm afternoons.
A single queen bee may mate with several drones during her flight.
The drone only mates with the queen; it never collects pollen or makes honey.
Deepa watched a drone fly out of the hive and circle slowly in the sun.
- worker bee
a female bee that does all the foraging and hive maintenance
- queen bee
the reproductive female who lays eggs and is served by the workers
用法筆記
In beekeeping contexts, 'drone' is a precise biological term, not an insult. The negative meaning ('lazy person') is a separate sense derived from the observation that drones do not work in the hive.
常見錯誤
6. a person who is made to do the same boring, low-level tasks again and again, oft
a person who is made to do the same boring, low-level tasks again and again, often for little pay and with no recognition
After university, Wei worked as an office drone filing papers for eight hours.
The factory treated its workers like drones who should never question their tasks.
treated like a drone — suggests lack of autonomy
Fatima felt like a drone at the call centre, repeating the same answers to callers.
The novel is about a man who escapes corporate drone life to start a farm.
- boss
someone who directs work rather than carrying out the same routine tasks
用法筆記
Often carries a tone of sympathy (a person trapped in dull work) rather than contempt. Compare sense 7, which is contemptuous.
7. someone who avoids doing any useful work and instead depends on other people's e
someone who avoids doing any useful work and instead depends on other people's effort to get money, food, or other support
Jumpei's roommates called him a drone because he never cleaned or paid for anything.
The government was accused of letting drones live on welfare without trying to find jobs.
Kofi's brother is a drone who sleeps all day and expects others to feed him.
In the old story, the ants called the grasshopper a lazy drone all summer.
- hard worker
someone who puts in effort and contributes
用法筆記
This sense is contemptuous. Compare sense 6 (a victim of boring work) vs. sense 7 (a parasite by choice). The bee metaphor is still visible: just as a male bee does nothing useful in the hive, this person contributes nothing to society.
常見錯誤
drone — verb
- dronepresent simple I / you / we / they
- drones3rd person singular
- droning-ing form
- dronedpast simple
1. to produce a low, steady sound that continues at the same pitch, like the noise
to produce a low, steady sound that continues at the same pitch, like the noise of an engine, a machine, or a flying insect
The old generator droned all night, making it impossible for anyone to sleep.
Above their heads, a small plane droned slowly across the summer sky.
plain intransitive use: plane / engine / insect + drone
The air conditioning unit droned quietly in the corner of the lecture hall.
Flies droned around the fruit bowl on the hot kitchen counter.
文法句型
drone (intransitive): subject + drone
用法筆記
Intransitive only — you cannot 'drone something.' The subject is typically a machine, engine, vehicle, or insect making a low continuous noise.
常見錯誤
2. to speak for a long time in a flat, boring voice without changing your tone or s
to speak for a long time in a flat, boring voice without changing your tone or showing any emotion, often putting listeners to sleep
The history teacher droned on about battles for the whole lesson.
drone on — phrasal pattern for continuous boring speech
Ananya tried to stay awake while the speaker droned through the budget report.
Elena's grandfather droned about his childhood for hours after dinner.
Nobody objected when the lecturer droned on past the class end time.
- enthuse
to speak with energy and excitement, the opposite of droning
文法句型
drone + on + about + topic
drone + through + topic
用法筆記
Frequently used with the particle 'on' (drone on) to emphasise length and tediousness. The subject is a person, and the topic is usually introduced by 'about.' The effect on the listener is boredom or drowsiness.