drone 1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈdrōn How to pronounce drone (audio)
Definition of dronenext
1
as in slug
a lazy person those drones just lie around while we do all the work

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in laborer
a person who does very hard or dull work after lunch my fellow drones and I shuffle back to our cubicles

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

drone

2 of 3

noun (2)

as in hum
a monotonous sound like that of an insect in motion heard the drone of an airplane overhead

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drone

3 of 3

verb

1
as in to hum
to fly, turn, or move rapidly with a fluttering or vibratory sound the sound of droning bees all around us

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2
as in to lazy
to spend time doing nothing instead of getting a job, he preferred to drone and live off his parents

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of drone
Noun
There also have been drone incursions in Estonia and Latvia resulting from Russia’s war in Ukraine. — Lorne Cook, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026 Ukraine has dispatched drones to attack the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in far northern Russia, home to the Soyuz launch pad used for Rassvet missions. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 2 Sep. 2026
Verb
Grey-zone tactics refer to a range of aggressive tactics varying from navy ship patrols to drone flights but fall short of direct combat. — ABC News, 24 June 2026 The sound of tattoo machines droning at different pitches filled the air at the fifth annual Capitol City Classic tattoo convention, on Saturday afternoon, the second day of its three-day run. — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 14 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for drone
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drone
  1. slug
  2. laborer
  3. hum
  4. buzz
  5. lounge
  6. snail
  7. worker
  8. purr
Noun
  • With the light load of powder that was behind them, these slugs couldn’t possibly have killed the tigress unless an extremely lucky shot had put them into a vital area at very close range.
    — Leslie E. Tassell, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Remember to bury the container deep enough to let the slugs in and out.
    — Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of slug
Noun
  • Activists suspect that Flock’s data has been used to plan immigration raids, which frequently target hardware store parking lots where migrant day-laborers often wait for work.
    — Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 31 Aug. 2026
  • His father, Charles, had expanded the New Jersey real estate development business his grandfather, a Polish Holocaust survivor, had begun after starting out as a construction laborer.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of laborer
Noun
  • By fields of cotton and soybeans where his bees forage and pollinate, Foster Hensel pries open the lid of one of his beehives, setting off a rising hum from inside.
    — Drew Hawkins, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Inside one of American Royal’s vast new barns, the smell of fresh paint still lingers as the hum of whirring drills and construction equipment fills the space just over 15 days until its first event on the new campus.
    — Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of hum
Verb
  • The monsters of the original — the Cyclops and the sirens — are replaced by drones that buzz across the stage and models of robotic war machines.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • And as Forte mentioned, the film is being released amid glowing reviews and very positive audience buzz.
    — Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of buzz
Verb
  • There’s an outdoor kids club with a schedule of activities and a babysitting service, but most youngsters looked happy enough playing on the sand while parents lounged nearby or got involved in the digging.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Most recently, Céline Dion, Lucy Hale, and Sofia Richie Grainge were spotted in matching ensembles for outdoor activities, casual outings, and lounging at home.
    — Rachel Trujillo, PEOPLE, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of lounge
Noun
  • Alluding to the attack only in the title, Anedda notes a few events showing the effects, patterns and tasks of an illustrator, the men seeking martyrdom, as well as the earthworms, gnats and the snail working the soil.
    — Wallis Wilde-Menozzi, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Scientists rescued 34 endangered humped tree snails from Guam by collecting them in empty peanut butter jars ahead of a powerful typhoon.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of snail
Noun
  • Wichai Yuankham, 35, a factory worker who came to watch the ships arrive, said the naval visit was a welcome boost to the local economy.
    — Mosheh Gains, NBC news, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Changing majors and career paths The CNBC survey found that almost 40% of students and workers enrolled in school have considered changing their major, field of study or coursework due to AI, rising to 44% for students who are not employed.
    — Sophie Caldwell, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of worker
Noun
  • Kimie Smothermon begins each day greeted by the squeals, chirps and purrs of nearly 400 guinea pigs.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • In the mid-1970s, Slash’s mother, the costume designer Ola Hudson, worked on the American production of The Rocky Horror Show, whose Frank-N-Furter is the unmistakable touchstone of Bourzgui’s David, down to the depraved purr.
    — Sarah Grant, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of purr

Browse Nearby Words

drolls
drone
droned
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Cite this Entry

“Drone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drone. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on drone

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about drone

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