Drone

Definition: Drone

Drone

Noun

1. Stingless male bee in a colony of social bees (especially honeybees) whose sole function is to mate with the queen.

2. An unchanging intonation.

3. Someone who takes more time than necessary; someone who lags behind.

4. An aircraft without a pilot that is operated by remote control.

5. A pipe of the bagpipe that is tuned to produce a single continuous tone.

Verb

1. Make a monotonous low dull sound.

2. Talk in a monotonous voice.

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "drone" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1594. (references)

Computing

Aerospace

Literature

Mechanical Engineering

Military

Military & Defense

Transportation

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Synonyms: Drone

Inactivity

Idler, drone, droil, dawdle, mopus; do-little faineant, dummy, sleeping partner; afternoon farmer; truant; (runaway) : bummer, loafer, goldbrick, goldbicker, lounger, lazzarone; lubber, lubbard; slow coach; (slow.); opium eater, lotus eater; slug; lag, sluggard, slugabed; slumberer, dormouse, marmot; waiter on Providence, fruges consumere natus.

Crosswords: Drone

French (drone), Manx (hump).

Your attempts to assimilate this drone will fail. (Star Trek: Voyager; writing credit: Douglas Day Stewart)

The Europeans like pictures that drone on, and I'm good at making pictures that drone on. (Wild Man Blues; writing credit: Richard Ellmann; Julian Mitchell)

Sir Drone (1989)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• Drone Genealogy, 1620-2000: Ancestors and Descendants of Joseph F. and Margaret (Bartel Drone of Gallatin County, Illinois (reference)

• Drone Zone (Healing Music Series) (reference)

• The Drone Virus (reference)

  (more book examples)

Theater & Movies

• Sir Drone (reference)

  (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music

• Drone (reference)

• Drone Zone (reference)

• The Selection Drone (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Firing her 5"/38 guns at a target drone aircraft, during exercises, 21 August 1964. The ship following next astern is USS Porterfield (DD-682). The relative positions of Wedderburn's signal flags, with the port side red "Bravo" flag hoisted higher, indicate that the ship is firing to port. Evenly hoisted flags on Porterfield indicate that her guns are not yet trained out. Photographed by PH2 R.D. Fennell. Credit: NAVY.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

The strong lights angled up into the sky now, and the even drone of a motor could be heard.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Expressions using "drone": drone away ♦ Drone bee ♦ Drone fly ♦ drone on ♦ drone out ♦ drone pipe ♦ target drone. Additional references.

Beginning with "drone": drone-chant, drone-figure, drone-like.

Albanian

dembel (dangler, dawdler, do nothing, do-naught, faineant, floppy, idle, Idler, lazy, lazybones, lazy-boots, lotus eater, slacker, sluggard, work-shy), zukatje (buzz, humming), zukat (buzz, drum, hum), zukamë, sorollatem (hang around, linger, mosey, Potter), njeri që rri kot (chairwarmer, fribble, loafer), këndoj me zë monoton, gyp gajdeje, gumëzhin (buzz, drum, hum, whir, whirr, whiz, whizz), gumëzhimë (buzz, buzzing, humming, murmuring, whir, whirr, whiz, whizz), flas me zë të zvarrur, bletë mashkull, avion i telekomanduar, anije e telekomanduar, çoj kohën kot. (various references)

Arabic 

‏كسلان (inactive, indolent, lie-abed, truant), ‏مزمار القربة (bagpipe), ‏لفظ بنبرة رتيبة, ‏لحن رتيب, ‏حيي حياة كسل, ‏عمل بطريقة روتينية, ‏عالة (dependent, pauper), ‏صوت الطائرة, ‏ذكر النحل, ‏خطيب ممل, ‏إنقضى على نحو رتيب, ‏أزيز (fizgig, humming, roar, sizzle, wheeze, whir, whiz, whizz, zip, zoom), ‏دندنة (croon, hum, mutter, muttering, singing), ‏دندن (croon, hum, mumble, sing, warble). (various references)

Bulgarian 

руча, търтей (sucker), говоря монотонно (monotone), гайдуница, монотонно пеене (singsong), монотонен говор, бръмча (boom, burr, buzz, drum, ha, hum, ping, purr, ring, sing, whir, whirr), безделнича (bum, fribble, idle, lallygag, lounge, muck about), пея монотонно (chant, monotone). (various references)

Chinese 

寄�"�虫 (Vermin), 嗡嗡 (buzz, hum). (various references)

Czech

zaháleè, trubec, parazit (hanger-on, parasite, sponger), hukot (howl, hum, sound, throb), huèet (hum, roar, throb), bzukot (buzz, murmur, whir, whirr), bzuèet (buzz, hum, whir, whirr), bzuèení (hum, humming, whir, whirr). (various references)

Danish

drone (airborne target, pilotless aircraft, pilotless target aircraft, remotely piloted vehicle, target drone), målsøgningsvåben (homing weapon, pilotless target aircraft, target drone), brummen. (various references)

Dutch

drone, doelvliegtuig (target drone), dar, op afstand bestuurd toestel (airborne target, pilotless aircraft, remotely piloted vehicle), onbemand doelvliegtuig (pilotless target aircraft, target drone), gedreun. (various references)

Farsi 

یکنواخت سخن گفتن , وزوزکردن (Bombinate, Buzz, Hum), وزوز (Buzz, Zoom), سخن یکنواخت , زنبورعسل نر. (various references)

Finnish

surina (buzz, hum), kuhnuri. (various references)

French

vrombissement, faux-bourdon, drone (target drone). (various references)

German

Drohne (Idler, parasite), Dröhnen (boom, clang, din, echo, peal, pound away, pounding, resound, roar, rumble, sing, singing, sound, throb, thunder, to boom, to din, to drone, whir), brummen (be kept in, be locked up, buzz, grouch, grouse, growl, grumble, hum, humming, mumble, mutter, to buzz, to drone, whir). (various references)

Greek 

κηφήνας. (various references)

Hebrew 

לזמזם (buzz, croon, hum, whir, whirr), זכר �"�"בורים, בטלן (drifter, good for nothing, idler, layabout, loafer, loiterer), טפיל (leech, parasite, sponge, sponger). (various references)

Hungarian

zümmögés (abuzz, buzz, droning, hum, humming, singing, whirr). (various references)

Indonesian

dengungan (bellow, buzz, hum, propaganda, wail), menderu (howl, roar), lebah jantan, berdengung (buzz, hum, resound, wail). (various references)

Italian

fuco. (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

雄蜂 , ドレス店 (a patient's call button in a hospital, Don, Don Juan, donkey, don't mind, don't-know group, draw, draw ball, drawer, drawing, drawn game, drawnwork, dress store, dresser, dressing, dressing paper, dressing room, dressmaker, dressy, drop, drop goal, drop handle, drop-kick, dropout, dungarees, dwarf, game under lights, knife, knife ridge, knight, naive, nervous, Niagara, nice, nice guy, nice middle, nice shot, Nigeria, night, night cream, night game, night hospital, night latch, night show, night spot, night table, nightcap, nightclub, nightdress, nightgown, nightingale, nightmare, nightwear, Nike Hercules, Nile, Nile green, nurse, nurse bank, nurse call, nurse station, nursery, nursery tale, nylon latch, sunday, the firing of guns), 坐食の�' (idler). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

おばち, ドローン , ざしょくのと (idler). (various references)

Korean 

무인비행기. (various references)

Manx

shellan litcheragh, shellan firryn, litcher (idler, latecomer, lazybones, sluggard), drollane (indolent person), doss (bouquet, bun, bunch, clump, clumsy, mop of hair, tussock), cronnaney (boom, croon, hum, purr, sing), cronnane (babble, buzz, hum, purr, whirr). (various references)

Pig Latin

onedray

Portuguese

zumbir (bum, buzz, fizz, ha, hum, sing, whirr, whistle), zumbido (dog-bee, fizz, ringing, tingle, tinnitus, whirr, whiz, whizz), zangão (bumblebee, dog-bee, dor, dor-bug), zângão, veículo pilotado por controlo remoto (airborne target, pilotless aircraft, remotely piloted vehicle), vadiar (dilly-dally, fiddle, laze, loaf, maroon, mike, roam, wander), rumor (bruit, buzz, dog-bee, embroidery, hearsay, report, rumble, rumor, rumour, sound, susurration, umbrage, whispering), ronco (bellow, growl, grunt, rhonchus, rumble, snore, snoring), falar (address, chorus, converse, parley, prude, rhapsodize, say, singsong, speak, talk, tell, to speak). (various references)

Romanian

zbârnâit (buzzing, tingle, twang, whirring), zbârnâi (buzz, hum, tingle, twang, whirr, whiz), trântor (do-little, lazybones, loafer, lounger, poke), trândãvi (dawdle, laze, lie about, loaf, lounge, slack), tãrãgãna (dally, drawl, hang a leg, shuffle, Tarry, temporize), tãia frunzã la câini (dilly dally), mormãi (groan, grouse, grudge, grumble, grunt, mumble, mutter, snarl), bâzâit (boo-hoo, buzz, hum, ping, whimpering, whining, whiz), bâzâi (buzz, cry, growl, grumble, hum, ping, whimper, whizz). (various references)

Russian 

управляемый снаряд, трутень (dog-bee, male bee), жужжание (buzz, whir, whirr), бездельничать (bum, dawdle, fiddle about, fribble, idle, lallygag, laze, loaf, molder, moulder, sit back, twiddle, while the time away). (various references)

Scottish

sumair (the drone of a bagpipe). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

zujati (buzz, hum, whir, zoom), zujanje (buzz, buzzing, whir, whirr, whiz, whizz), bespilotno sredstvo napada. (various references)

Shona

donganyuchi (drone bee). (various references)

Spanish

zumbido (bur, burr, buzz, buzzing, hum, ringing, singing, tingle, whir, whirr, whiz, whizz), zángano. (various references)

Swedish

drönare (dog-bee, sluggard, snail). (various references)

Thai

เสียงต่ำๆ, ส่งเสียงหึ่งๆ. (various references)

Turkish

vızıltı (buzz, hum, ping, sibilance, whiz, whizz, zing, zip), vızıldamak (buzz, hum, ping, sing, whiz, whizz, whoosh), uzaktan kumandalı uçak, tembellik etmek (be lazy, fiddle-faddle, fribble, have a laze, laze, laze around, lounge, lounge about, slack, slack off, slacken, slug), tembel (asleep, bonelazy, do nothing, do-little, gold brick, idle, idle fellow, Idler, inactive, indolent, inert, laggard, languid, languorous, lazy, lazy person, lazybones, loon, lounger, slack, slacker, slothful, slouch, slug, sluggard, sluggish, stagnant, tired, torpid, workshy), pes ses tonu, monoton bir sesle söylemek (chant, intonate, intone, singsong), monoton bir sesle konuşan kimse, haylazlık etmek, erkek arı, başkasının sırtından geçinmek (batten on smb.), asalak tip (leech). (various references)

Turkmen 

wazzyldy (buzz). (various references)

Ukrainian

розтрачувати (eat into, embezzle, misappropriate, squander), трутень (dog-bee), безпілотний літак, байдикувати (bum, dawdle, hang about, idle, knock around, lallygag, loiter away, sit back, snooze, twiddle), дризжчати. (various references)

Vietnamese 

tiếng vo ve b� i nói đều đều, người nói giọng đều đều kèn túi, kẻ ăn không ng�"i r�"i tiếng o o. (various references)

fuco. (various references)

Derivations

Words beginning with "drone": droned, droner, droners, drones. (additional references)

Words ending with "drone": ladrone, madrone, norethindrone, padrone. (additional references)

Words containing "drone": ladrones, madrones, norethindrones, padrones, squadroned. (additional references)

Misspellings

"Drone" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: arone, daone, Dargonne, deone, Derenne, deron, dione, dionex, doneh, donnee, doren, dorne, doron, drane, dreen, Dregne, drene, drien, drinan, drine, Drini, droan, drobe, drobner, droe, droin, drole, drome, dron, drona, droner, droney, drong, dronk, Dronke, dront, droon, dropnik, drote, droue, Drouet, drowe, droze, drufe, druhe, druje, drune, drunt, druze, Drynie, Dyoni, frone, grone, rone, ronne, wrone. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Direct Anagrams: redon.

-1 letter: doer, done, dore, nerd, node, redo, rend, rode.

-2 letters: den, doe, don, dor, end, eon, ern, nod, nor, ode, one, ore, red, rod, roe.

-3 letters: de, do, ed, en, er, ne, no, od, oe, on, or, re.

+1 letter: bonder, corned, dehorn, dinero, downer, droned, droner, drones, enduro, fonder, horned, ironed, modern, nodder, normed, ponder, redone, redons, rodent, rodmen, rondel, snored, sonder, sorned, undoer, vendor, wonder, yonder.

+2 letters: adorned, adorner, aneroid, aproned, bandore, blonder, bonders, bounder, broaden, bronzed, browned, cornfed, crooned, crowned, crunode, deboner, decrown, dehorns, dendron, dineros, donnerd, donnert, doormen, dorneck, dourine, downers, downier, droners, drowned, drowner, encoder, encored, endorse, endower, enduros, enrobed, erodent, eroding, fondler, fordone, forfend, founder, fronded, fronted, frowned, groaned, groined, guerdon, honored, hordein, hounder, ignored, indorse, joinder, ladrone, madrone, minored, moderne, moderns, mordent, mourned, negroid, neuroid, nodders, operand, ordines, padrone, pandore, ponders, portend, pounder, pronged, propend, protend, readorn, rebound, redbone, redoing, redound, reendow, refound, resound, respond, rewound, rezoned, rodents, rodsmen, rondeau, rondels, rondure, rosined, rounded, roundel, rounder, scorned, snorted, sonders, sordine, sounder, thorned, throned, trodden, underdo, undergo, undoers, unrobed, unroped, vendors, wonders, wronged.