drone
drone — 名詞
- dronesingular
- dronesplural
1. a flying machine without a pilot, guided from the ground or by onboard computers
無人機
沒有駕駛員的遙控飛行器
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.
Esteban 用他的無人機拍攝山上的日落。
drone used for aerial filming
A military drone flew over the forest to take pictures of the enemy camp.
一架軍用無人機飛過森林，拍攝敵方營地的照片。
military drone for surveillance
The farmer bought a drone to check which crops needed water.
農夫買了一架無人機，檢查哪些作物需要澆水。
Rodrigo's drone got stuck in a tree while he was photographing birds.
Rodrigo 的無人機在拍攝鳥類時卡在樹上了。
Delivery drones can drop packages at your door within thirty minutes.
送貨無人機可以在三十分鐘內把包裹送到你家門口。
- 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
嗡嗡聲
低沉持續的機器噪音
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.
Layla 在廚房裡就能聽到冰箱低沉的嗡嗡聲。
drone of [appliance] for a steady machine sound
The drone of the air conditioner kept Beatrix awake all night.
空調的嗡嗡聲讓 Beatrix 整晚睡不著。
Imran listened to the steady drone of rain falling on the roof.
Imran 聽著雨水打在屋頂上持續不斷的聲音。
A faint drone came from the factory across the river.
河對岸的工廠傳來微弱的嗡嗡聲。
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
持續低音
旋律下方不變的持續音
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.
Yasmin 在學風笛旋律之前，先學會了吹奏持續低音。
The band's song features a low drone played on a string instrument.
這個樂團的歌曲中有一段弦樂器奏出的持續低音。
drone played on [instrument] as musical backdrop
Indra could hear the constant drone beneath the flute melody.
Indra 可以聽到長笛旋律下方不變的低音。
Traditional Indian music often uses a drone sound from a tanpura.
印度傳統音樂經常使用坦布拉琴發出持續低音。
- 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
風笛管
風笛上發出持續音的管子
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.
Léa 在遊行前清理了風笛的持續音管。
drone pipes of bagpipes — the physical part of the instrument
One of the drone reeds on the bagpipes needs to be replaced.
風笛的其中一個持續音簧片需要更換。
The piper adjusted the drone so it produced a clear, steady tone.
風笛手調整了持續音管，使它發出清晰穩定的聲音。
The drone section of the bagpipes rests across the player's shoulder.
風笛的持續音管部分橫跨在吹奏者的肩膀上。
5. the stingless male of a bee colony, whose only function is to fertilise the quee
雄蜂
無螫針、負責與蜂后交配的公蜂
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.
Aoi 在花園裡的蜂巢附近看到一隻雄蜂。
drone bee — a specific type of bee
Unlike worker bees, a drone does not collect pollen from flowers.
和工蜂不同，雄蜂不會採集花朵的花粉。
The drone bee left the hive to search for a queen to mate with.
雄蜂離開蜂巢，去尋找可以交配的蜂后。
Drone bees are larger than workers but have no stinger.
雄蜂比工蜂大，但沒有螫針。
- 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
寄生蟲
不工作只靠他人養活的人
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.
Mira 罵她的室友是寄生蟲，從來不做家事。
call someone a drone — criticizing laziness
Madison felt like a drone living with her parents without contributing anything.
Madison 覺得自己像個寄生蟲，住在父母家什麼事都不做。
The manager fired the drone who spent all day doing nothing at his desk.
經理開除了那個整天在辦公桌前發呆的寄生蟲。
Sayaka told her brother he was a drone for never looking for a job.
Sayaka 罵她弟弟是寄生蟲，因為他從來不去找工作。
- 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 — 動詞
- 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
發嗡嗡聲
發出持續低沉的機械聲
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.
飛機在跑道上等待許可時，引擎發出嗡嗡聲。
engine + drone — common subject pairing
A helicopter droned overhead, shaking the windows of the classroom.
一架直升機在頭頂發出嗡嗡聲，震得教室的窗戶咯咯作響。
The fan droned all night in the corner of the bedroom.
電風扇在臥室的角落嗡嗡作響了一整夜。
Caleb could hear the bees droning around the flowering bushes in the park.
Caleb 可以聽到蜜蜂在公園裡的花叢周圍嗡嗡叫。
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
單調地說
用平淡無變化的語調說話
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.
教授單調地講述羅馬歷史，講到班上半數學生都睡著了。
drone on about [topic] — emphasizes tedious length
The tour guide droned through the museum without pausing for questions.
導遊平淡地介紹博物館的展品，從不停下來回答問題。
drone through [text/place] — moving through content monotonously
The radio host droned the traffic report in a flat, tired voice.
廣播主持人用平淡疲倦的聲音念完交通報導。
The politician droned his speech while the audience checked their phones.
那位政治人物單調地念著講稿，而聽眾則在低頭看手機。
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.'