droned
droned — verb
- dronedpresent simple I / you / we / they
- droneds3rd person singular
- droneding-ing form
- dronededpast simple
1. to produce a steady low sound that stays at the same pitch, usually from a machi
to produce a steady low sound that stays at the same pitch, usually from a machine, engine, or insect
The old refrigerator droned all night, keeping Mei from getting any real sleep.
intransitive: subject produces the sound
A small plane droned somewhere high above the golden wheat fields.
Mosquitoes droned around Keiko's head as she tried to fall asleep.
The air conditioner droned steadily in the background of the crowded office.
From the workshop came the hum of a lathe droning without pause.
文法句型
drone + adverb/preposition
用法筆記
The subject is usually a machine, engine, electrical device, or flying insect. Not typically used for human voices — see sense 2.
2. to talk for a long time in a flat, boring way, without any change in the tone or
to talk for a long time in a flat, boring way, without any change in the tone or energy of your voice
The guest speaker droned on for nearly two hours about tax regulations.
drone on = continue speaking in a boring way
Tomás's voice droned through the lecture hall, putting half the students to sleep.
The flight attendant droned the safety instructions in such a flat voice that nobody paid attention.
The priest droned the evening prayers as he had done every day for forty years.
Uncle Raj droned on and on about his stamp collection until everyone left the room.
文法句型
drone on
drone + direct object (speech content)
用法筆記
Frequently used with the particle 'on' to emphasise that the boring speech continues for a long time. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is only about human speech.
常見錯誤
droned — noun
1. a flying machine without a human pilot inside, steered from the ground or by a c
a flying machine without a human pilot inside, steered from the ground or by a computer programme on board
The photographer sent a small drone up to capture the sunset over the cliffs.
Military drones circled the border area for hours before the operation began.
Farmers in the valley now use drones to check on crops across huge fields.
The package was delivered by a drone that dropped it gently onto Ines's front porch.
Soren's drone rose above the treetops and he squinted to keep the tiny craft in sight.
- UAV
technical abbreviation for 'unmanned aerial vehicle', used in military and regulatory contexts
- quadcopter
a specific type of drone with four rotors, common in consumer models
用法筆記
Though originally associated with military use, drones are now widely used for photography, farming, delivery, and search-and-rescue work.
2. a steady low noise that stays at one pitch without stopping, often made by an en
a steady low noise that stays at one pitch without stopping, often made by an engine, a machine, or many insects together
The drone of the lawnmower next door made it impossible to hear the radio.
the drone of [machine/engine]
Fatima fell asleep to the soft drone of the ceiling fan above her bed.
In the distance, the drone of highway traffic never truly stopped.
A low drone filled the ferry cabin as the engine rumbled beneath the deck.
The laboratory was silent apart from the steady drone of a centrifuge.
3. a male honeybee that does no work in the hive and exists only to mate with the q
a male honeybee that does no work in the hive and exists only to mate with the queen; it has no sting
The beekeeper showed the children the larger drones moving among the busy worker bees.
When autumn arrives, the worker bees push the drones out of the hive to save food.
Unlike the workers, the drones simply wait around for a chance to mate with a queen.
The beekeeper picked up a drone bee with his bare fingers and smiled — no sting at all.
- worker bee
a female bee that does all the hive's labour
4. a person who does boring, low-level tasks that repeat day after day and offer li
a person who does boring, low-level tasks that repeat day after day and offer little respect or satisfaction
Nikolai felt like a drone in the factory, packing the same boxes hour after hour.
The big office was full of drones staring at screens and entering data all day.
Esther quit the job after six months, tired of being treated like a mindless drone.
The company replaced dozens of human drones with automated software last spring.
5. a person who avoids working and instead lives by taking money, food, or shelter
a person who avoids working and instead lives by taking money, food, or shelter from other people
His older brother was a drone who never held a job and lived off their parents.
The old shopkeeper called the young men at the corner a bunch of lazy drones.
lazy drones
Amara resented being called a drone just because she had been out of work for weeks.
In the old fable, the grasshopper was the drone while the ants worked through summer.
6. a pipe in a bagpipe or similar instrument that plays a single unchanging note as
a pipe in a bagpipe or similar instrument that plays a single unchanging note as a steady background to the melody
The bagpipe's drone pipes hummed beneath the bright melody the piper was playing.
drone pipes
Hakim adjusted the drone of his bagpipes before the street parade began.
The deep drone from the largest pipe filled the stone hall with a rich sound.
Niall pulled out a drone pipe, and the bagpipe's rich sound collapsed into a thin wail.