drone on
verb (used without object)
1.
to make a dull, continued, low, monotonous sound; hum; buzz.
2.
to speak in a monotonous tone.
3.
to proceed in a dull, monotonous manner (usually followed by on ): The meeting droned on for hours.
verb (used with object)
4.
to say in a dull, monotonous tone.
noun
5.
Music.
a.
a continuous low tone produced by the bass pipes or bass strings of musical instruments.
b.
the pipes (especially of the bagpipe) or strings producing this tone.
c.
a bagpipe equipped with such pipes.
6.
a monotonous low tone; humming or buzzing sound.
7.
a person who speaks in a monotonous tone.
Origin:
1490–1500; see drone1 and compare Middle English droun to roar, Icelandic drynja to bellow, Gothic drunjus noise
1490–1500; see drone1 and compare Middle English droun to roar, Icelandic drynja to bellow, Gothic drunjus noise
Related forms
dron·er, noun
dron·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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|
Link To drone on
00:10
Drone on
is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
drone1 (drəʊn) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a male bee in a colony of social bees, whose sole function is to mate with the queen |
| 2. | (Brit) a person who lives off the work of others |
| 3. | a pilotless radio-controlled aircraft |
| [Old English drān; related to Old High German treno drone, Gothic drunjus noise, Greek tenthrēnē wasp; see | |
| 'dronish1 | |
| —adj | |
| drone2 (drəʊn) | |
| —vb (when intr, | |
| 1. | (intr) to make a monotonous low dull sound; buzz or hum |
| 2. | to utter (words) in a monotonous tone, esp to talk without stopping |
| —n | |
| 3. | a monotonous low dull sound |
| 4. | music |
| a. a sustained bass note or chord of unvarying pitch accompanying a melody | |
| b. (as modifier): a drone bass | |
| 5. | music one of the single-reed pipes in a set of bagpipes, used for accompanying the melody played on the chanter |
| 6. | a person who speaks in a low monotonous tone |
| [C16: related to | |
| 'droning2 | |
| —adj | |
| 'droningly2 | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
drone
O.E. dran, dræn "male honeybee," from P.Gmc. *dran-, probably imitative; given a figurative sense of "idler, lazy worker" (male bees make no honey) 1520s. Meaning "pilotless aircraft" is from 1946. The verb in the sound sense is c.1500, apparently imitative. Related: Droned; droning.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
drone  (drōn) Pronunciation Key
A male bee, especially a honeybee whose only function is to fertilize the queen. Drones have no stingers, do no work, and do not produce honey. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
drone definition
In military usage, a pilotless aircraft used for reconnaissance and, more recently, for launching aerial attacks.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
drone
n. Ignorant sales or customer service personnel in computer or electronics superstores. Characterized by a lack of even superficial knowledge about the products they sell, yet possessed of the conviction that they are more competent than their hacker customers. Usage: "That video board probably sucks, it was recommended by a drone at Fry's" In the year 2000, their natural habitats include Fry's Electronics, Best Buy, and CompUSA.
Jargon
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