drone
/drəʊn/ (bre, ipa) · /drəʊn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈdrōn/ (ame, mw) · /droʊn/ (ame, ipa)
drone — 名詞
- dronesingular
- dronesplural
1. a small flying machine that operates without a human pilot inside; a person on t
無人機
遠端遙控的小型飛行器
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.
肯亞的一位農夫用無人機從空中檢查他的作物。
The film crew flew a drone over the coast for aerial shots of the beach.
攝影小組讓一架無人機沿著海岸飛行，拍攝海灘的空拍畫面。
collocation: fly a drone / use a drone
The delivery company is testing drones that drop packages at people's front doors.
這家快遞公司正在測試能夠把包裹投遞到民眾家門口的無人機。
Rescue workers sent a drone into the damaged building to look for survivors.
救難人員派了一架無人機進入受損的建築物，尋找生還者。
Hobbyists must follow strict rules when flying a drone near an airport.
業餘玩家在機場附近操作無人機時，必須遵守嚴格的規定。
- 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
低鳴聲
持續低沉的轟嗡噪音
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.
Mei-Lin 從窗邊可以聽到高速公路上持續的車輛低鳴聲。
steady drone of [something]
The only sound in the library was the low drone of the air conditioning unit.
圖書館裡唯一的聲音，就是空調主機低沉的嗡鳴。
Visitors to the factory found the constant drone of the machines hard to ignore.
參觀工廠的訪客發現那些機器持續的低鳴聲很難忽略。
The drone of the refrigerator motor kept little Tomo awake during the hot night.
冰箱馬達的低鳴聲讓小 Tomo 在炎熱的夜晚難以入睡。
Omar could hear the distant drone of voices from the crowd at the stadium.
Omar 可以聽到體育場群眾隱隱約約的說話低鳴聲。
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
持續低音
貫穿主旋律的低沉長音
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.
風笛手在樂器低沉的持續低音之上，演奏出一段活潑的旋律。
play over a drone
In Indian classical music, the tanpura provides a constant drone that supports the singer.
在印度古典音樂中，坦布拉琴會發出持續的低音來襯托歌手的演唱。
Amara loved how the drone of the bagpipes gave the music a rich, full feeling.
Amara 很喜歡風笛的持續低音，因為它讓音樂聽起來飽滿而豐富。
The drone note stayed the same while the melody moved up and down.
持續低音維持同一個音，而主旋律則上下起伏變化。
- 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
低音管
樂器中發持續低音的部件
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.
風笛手在比賽開始前更換了其中一根低音管的簧片。
drone reed / drone pipe (physical parts)
Henrik spent an afternoon learning how to tune the drones on his bagpipes.
Henrik 花了一整個下午學習如何調校風笛上的低音管。
The instrument has three drones that sit across the player's shoulder.
這項樂器有三根低音管，橫跨在演奏者的肩膀上。
A problem with the bass drone made the whole set of bagpipes sound odd.
低音管出了問題，讓整組風笛聽起來怪怪的。
- 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
雄蜂
沒有螫針的雄性蜜蜂
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.
雄蜂不像工蜂那樣有螫針，因此無法保衛蜂巢。
drone vs. worker bee — no stinger
Beekeepers often notice that drones gather near the entrance of the hive on warm afternoons.
養蜂人經常注意到在溫暖的午後，雄蜂會聚集在蜂巢入口附近。
A single queen bee may mate with several drones during her flight.
一隻蜂后在飛行期間可能會和多隻雄蜂交配。
The drone only mates with the queen; it never collects pollen or makes honey.
雄蜂只和蜂后交配；牠們從不採花粉或釀蜜。
Deepa watched a drone fly out of the hive and circle slowly in the sun.
Deepa 看著一隻雄蜂飛出蜂巢，在陽光下慢慢繞圈。
- 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
苦工
做枯燥單調工作的人
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.
大學畢業後，Wei 在一間辦公室當苦工，每天整理文件八小時。
The factory treated its workers like drones who should never question their tasks.
這間工廠把工人當作只該照表操課、不該質疑工作的苦工。
treated like a drone — suggests lack of autonomy
Fatima felt like a drone at the call centre, repeating the same answers to callers.
Fatima 覺得自己在客服中心像個苦工，對每位來電者重複同樣的答覆。
The novel is about a man who escapes corporate drone life to start a farm.
這本小說描述一個男人脫離企業苦工生活，去經營一座農場。
- 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
寄生蟲
依賴他人供養的懶惰者
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.
Jumpei 的室友都叫他寄生蟲，因為他從不打掃也不付任何費用。
The government was accused of letting drones live on welfare without trying to find jobs.
有人批評政府放任寄生蟲靠社會福利過活，卻不努力找工作。
Kofi's brother is a drone who sleeps all day and expects others to feed him.
Kofi 的哥哥是個寄生蟲，整天睡覺等著別人養他。
In the old story, the ants called the grasshopper a lazy drone all summer.
在古老的寓言裡，螞蟻整個夏天都叫蚱蜢懶惰的寄生蟲。
- 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 — 動詞
- 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
發出嗡鳴
發出低沉持續的聲音
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.
那台老舊的發電機整晚嗡嗡作響，讓大家都睡不著。
Above their heads, a small plane droned slowly across the summer sky.
在他們頭頂上，一架小飛機發著嗡嗡聲，緩緩飛過夏日天空。
plain intransitive use: plane / engine / insect + drone
The air conditioning unit droned quietly in the corner of the lecture hall.
演講廳角落的空調機靜靜地發出低沉的嗡鳴。
Flies droned around the fruit bowl on the hot kitchen counter.
蒼蠅在炎熱廚房裡的水果盤周圍嗡嗡作響。
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
單調地說
用平淡語調長時間說話
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.
歷史老師整堂課都在單調地講述一場場戰役。
drone on — phrasal pattern for continuous boring speech
Ananya tried to stay awake while the speaker droned through the budget report.
Ananya 努力保持清醒，那位講者卻用平淡語調唸完整份預算報告。
Elena's grandfather droned about his childhood for hours after dinner.
Elena 的祖父吃完晚餐後，連續好幾個小時單調地講述他的童年往事。
Nobody objected when the lecturer droned on past the class end time.
講師下課後還在用平淡語調繼續講課，但沒人提出異議。
- 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.