# drone

Pronunciation: say "DROHN" US /dɹoʊn/, UK /dɹəʊn/

## Noun

1. An aircraft or other vehicle without a pilot or crew on board, controlled remotely or by an onboard computer; especially an unmanned aerial vehicle.
   - Simple: An aircraft or other vehicle with no person inside, controlled from far away or by a computer.
   - _Search teams launched a drone to scan the flooded valley for survivors._
   - _Hobbyists fly camera-equipped drones at the local park most weekends._
2. A continuous humming or deep murmuring sound, such as that of a crowd or distant gathering.
   - Simple: A humming or deep murmuring sound, like many voices together.
   - _The drone of conversation rose as more guests arrived._
   - _A deep drone rolled across the valley from the gathered pilgrims._
3. A male bee, ant, or wasp that performs no work but can fertilize the queen.
   - Simple: A male bee, ant, or wasp that does not gather food but can mate with the queen.
   - _In late fall, each drone is pushed out of the hive, since the colony can no longer afford to feed it._
   - _Worker bees expel the drones from the hive before winter sets in._
6. A genre of music built on sustained or repeated droning sounds held over long stretches of time.
   - Simple: A style of music built from long, repeated humming or sustained sounds.
   - _Drone draws on Indian classical music and minimalist composition._
   - _Fans of drone value slow change and deep, sustained tones._
7. A person regarded as lacking independent, critical thought who blindly follows the group; used contemptuously. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A person who follows a group without thinking for themselves, used as an insult.
   - _She dismissed the whole committee as drones who never questioned the boss._
   - _Online, he brands every critic a drone incapable of original thought._
8. One of the fixed-pitch pipes on a bagpipe that sounds a single continuous note beneath the melody.
   - Simple: On a bagpipe, one of the pipes that plays a single, unchanging note.
   - _The piper adjusted the drone so it sat in tune with the chanter._
   - _Highland pipes usually carry three drones, two tenor and one bass._
9. A person who carries out dull, repetitive, or menial work, often without recognition.
   - Simple: A person who does dull, repeated work, often for long hours.
   - _After years as a corporate drone, she quit to start her own studio._
   - _She spent ten years as an office drone, copying numbers into spreadsheets for managers who never learned her name._
12. British slang for the drug mephedrone. *(slang, UK)*
   - Simple: A street name in the UK for mephedrone, an illegal drug that makes people feel excited and full of energy.
   - _By 2009, drone had spread through the club scene across Britain._
   - _Dealers were selling drone as a cheap legal high before the ban._

## Verb

4. To give off a low-pitched, continuous hum or buzz.
   - Simple: To make a low, steady humming or buzzing sound.
   - _Generators drone steadily through the night at the construction site._
   - _The old fan droned in the corner of the room._
5. To speak in a dull, unchanging tone of voice.
   - Simple: To speak in a flat, boring voice that does not change.
   - _Presenters who drone in a flat voice quickly bore the room._
   - _He droned about quarterly figures while everyone checked their phones._
10. To kill a person or destroy a target in a missile strike launched from an unmanned aircraft. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To kill or destroy someone or something using a missile fired from an unmanned aircraft.
   - _Forces droned the compound after weeks of surveillance._
   - _Commanders decided to drone the vehicle rather than risk a ground raid._

## Noun

11. A lazy person who does no work and spends the time in idleness. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: A lazy person who will not do any work.

## Other meanings

- (noun) In dronification kink, a person who adopts a mindless, obedient, robotic persona for a dominant, often hidden behind a latex suit and gas mask.
- (noun) A Toyota HiAce or similar van, especially one used by Ugandan state agents to abduct members of the opposition.

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 3, 7, 9–11** — This sense comes from Middle English 'drane' and Old English 'drān', going back to Proto-Germanic and a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'bee, drone, hornet'. It is related to German 'Drohne' and Swedish 'drönare'. The origin of the 'remote-controlled aircraft' meaning is disputed.
**Meanings 2, 4–6, 8** — This sense comes from Middle English 'drounen' ('to roar, bellow'), from Proto-Germanic '*drunjaną' ('to drone, roar, make a sound') and a Proto-Indo-European root '*dʰer-' ('to roar, hum, drone'). It is related to Dutch 'dreunen', German 'dröhnen' and Danish 'drøne'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/drone (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).