drone
drone — noun
- dronesingular
- dronesplural
1. a flying machine without a pilot, guided from the ground or by onboard computers
a flying machine without a pilot, guided from the ground or by onboard computers, and equipped with cameras or other gear for recording, delivery, or military work
Esteban used his drone to film the sunset over the mountains.
drone used for aerial filming
A military drone flew over the forest to take pictures of the enemy camp.
military drone for surveillance
The farmer bought a drone to check which crops needed water.
Rodrigo's drone got stuck in a tree while he was photographing birds.
Delivery drones can drop packages at your door within thirty minutes.
- UAV
abbreviation for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle; more formal and technical than 'drone'
- quadcopter
a drone with four rotors; more specific, common for consumer models
用法筆記
The most frequently encountered sense in modern contexts. Often appears in compound nouns like 'drone strike' or 'drone pilot' to narrow the meaning.
常見錯誤
2. a steady, low-pitched sound that continues without changing, like the noise made
a steady, low-pitched sound that continues without changing, like the noise made by a machine, a motor, or a crowd far away
From the kitchen, Layla could hear the low drone of the refrigerator.
drone of [appliance] for a steady machine sound
The drone of the air conditioner kept Beatrix awake all night.
Imran listened to the steady drone of rain falling on the roof.
A faint drone came from the factory across the river.
用法筆記
Commonly paired with 'of' to identify the source of the sound, as in 'the drone of traffic' or 'the drone of voices.'
3. a long, unchanging musical note that is held as a steady background while other
a long, unchanging musical note that is held as a steady background while other notes or melodies change above it, common in traditional and folk music
Yasmin learned to play the drone on the bagpipes before attempting the melody.
The band's song features a low drone played on a string instrument.
drone played on [instrument] as musical backdrop
Indra could hear the constant drone beneath the flute melody.
Traditional Indian music often uses a drone sound from a tanpura.
- pedal point
the Western classical term for a held note beneath changing harmonies; more technical
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2 — this drone is a deliberate musical element, not an accidental or background noise.
4. the long pipe on a set of bagpipes that produces a single steady tone in the bac
the long pipe on a set of bagpipes that produces a single steady tone in the background while the melody is played on a separate pipe called the chanter
Léa cleaned the drone pipes of her bagpipes before the parade.
drone pipes of bagpipes — the physical part of the instrument
One of the drone reeds on the bagpipes needs to be replaced.
The piper adjusted the drone so it produced a clear, steady tone.
The drone section of the bagpipes rests across the player's shoulder.
5. the stingless male of a bee colony, whose only function is to fertilise the quee
the stingless male of a bee colony, whose only function is to fertilise the queen, leaving all food-gathering and nest duties to the female worker bees
Aoi spotted a drone bee near the hive in the garden.
drone bee — a specific type of bee
Unlike worker bees, a drone does not collect pollen from flowers.
The drone bee left the hive to search for a queen to mate with.
Drone bees are larger than workers but have no stinger.
- worker bee
a female bee that does all the work in the hive
- queen bee
the single fertile female in a bee colony
用法筆記
The only sense that refers to a living creature. Worker bees and the queen are female, while drones are male and have no stinger.
常見錯誤
6. a person who avoids work and depends on other people's effort to get what they n
a person who avoids work and depends on other people's effort to get what they need, contributing little or nothing themselves
Mira called her roommate a drone for never helping with the housework.
call someone a drone — criticizing laziness
Madison felt like a drone living with her parents without contributing anything.
The manager fired the drone who spent all day doing nothing at his desk.
Sayaka told her brother he was a drone for never looking for a job.
- worker
a person who works hard and contributes
用法筆記
This meaning comes from comparing a lazy person to a drone bee, which does not gather food or work in the hive. It is less common today but still used in disapproving contexts.
drone — verb
- dronepresent simple I / you / we / they
- drones3rd person singular
- droning-ing form
- dronedpast simple
1. to produce a steady low sound, like the noise made by a machine, an engine, or a
to produce a steady low sound, like the noise made by a machine, an engine, or an insect's wings
The engine droned as the plane waited on the runway for clearance.
engine + drone — common subject pairing
A helicopter droned overhead, shaking the windows of the classroom.
The fan droned all night in the corner of the bedroom.
Caleb could hear the bees droning around the flowering bushes in the park.
文法句型
drone + adverb phrase
drone + prepositional phrase
用法筆記
Frequently used with an adverb of place or manner, such as 'drone above,' 'drone quietly,' or 'drone on' (though 'drone on' more commonly belongs to sense 2).
2. to speak in a flat, boring way without any changes in tone or speed, often for a
to speak in a flat, boring way without any changes in tone or speed, often for a long time
The professor droned on about Roman history until half the class fell asleep.
drone on about [topic] — emphasizes tedious length
The tour guide droned through the museum without pausing for questions.
drone through [text/place] — moving through content monotonously
The radio host droned the traffic report in a flat, tired voice.
The politician droned his speech while the audience checked their phones.
文法句型
drone on about [topic]
drone + noun phrase (speech)
drone through [text]
用法筆記
Often appears as 'drone on' to stress the boring length of the speech. The transitive pattern (drone + direct object: 'drone a speech') is less common than the intransitive 'drone on about.'