drone
gb/dɹˈoʊn/ us/dɹˈoʊn/
B1
English
drón, zúgás, búgás, zúg, búg, zümmög, egyhangúan beszél, monoton hangon beszél, robot, biorobot, here, hím méh, bordun, bordunhang
NOUN
B1
1
drón
B1
Usage pattern:
[a] drone; [a] drone flies over [place]
The hikers used a drone to film the waterfall from above.
A túrázók drónt használtak, hogy felülről lefilmezzék a vízesést.
Airport officials closed the runway after a drone was spotted nearby.
A repülőtéri illetékesek lezárták a kifutópályát, miután drónt észleltek a közelben.
The company is testing drones for delivering medicine to remote villages.
Learner examples
He flew a drone over the beach.
Drónt reptetett a tengerpart felett.
The drone has a small camera.
A drónon van egy kis kamera.
Common mistake:
A drone is usually an unmanned flying vehicle; do not use it for any ordinary camera or toy unless it flies.
Meaning
Unmanned flying vehicle
Collocations
camera drone
|military drone
|surveillance drone
|delivery drone
|consumer drone
|armed drone
|reconnaissance drone
|fly a drone
|launch a drone
|drone operator
Synonyms
UAV (more technical abbreviation for unmanned aerial vehicle)
|
unmanned aircraft (more formal and descriptive)
|
quadcopter (a specific type of small drone with four rotors)
Antonyms
manned aircraft (an aircraft with a human pilot on board)
Themes
technology
|aviation
|photography
|military
Definition
a small aircraft with no pilot inside, controlled from the ground or by a computer
an aircraft, especially a small one, that is controlled remotely or by onboard software and can be used for filming, delivery, surveillance, or military purposes
NOUN
B2
2
Usage pattern:
the drone of [something]
The steady drone of the air conditioner made it hard to sleep.
A légkondicionáló egyenletes zúgása miatt nehéz volt aludni.
From the apartment, we could hear the distant drone of traffic.
A lakásból hallottuk a forgalom távoli zúgását.
A low drone filled the room as the generator started.
Learner examples
I heard the drone of a plane.
Hallottam egy repülőgép zúgását.
The machine made a loud drone.
A gép hangos zúgást adott ki.
Common mistake:
This noun is often used with of: the drone of traffic, the drone of an engine.
Meaning
Low continuous sound
Collocations
low drone
|steady drone
|constant drone
|distant drone
|background drone
|the drone of traffic
|the drone of engines
|the drone of machinery
Synonyms
hum (often softer or less unpleasant)
|
buzz (often higher-pitched or sharper)
|
murmur (softer and more mixed, often of voices or water)
Antonyms
silence (complete absence of sound)
Themes
sound
|daily_life
Definition
a low sound that continues for a long time
a low, steady, continuous sound, especially one that is dull or background noise
VERB
B2
3
Usage pattern:
[machine/insect/vehicle] drones
A generator droned outside the cabin all night.
Egy generátor zúgott egész éjjel a faház mellett.
Bees droned lazily around the flowers.
Méhek zümmögtek lustán a virágok körül.
The plane droned overhead until it disappeared into the clouds.
Learner examples
The fan droned in my room.
A ventilátor zúgott a szobámban.
A plane droned above us.
Egy repülőgép zúgott felettünk.
Common mistake:
Do not confuse drone with drown; drown means to die or cause someone to die under water.
Meaning
Make a low hum
Collocations
engine drones
|plane drones
|fan drones
|generator drones
|machinery drones
|traffic drones
|bees drone
|drone in the background
Synonyms
hum (similar but often softer or more pleasant)
|
buzz (usually a higher, sharper sound)
|
whirr (suggests a rotating mechanical sound)
Antonyms
fall silent (stop making sound)
|
quiet down (become less noisy)
Themes
sound
|daily_life
Definition
to make a low sound that continues
to make a low, steady, continuous sound
VERB
B2
4
Usage pattern:
[someone] drones; [someone] drones through [something]
The guide droned through the safety instructions.
Az idegenvezető egyhangúan végigmondta a biztonsági utasításokat.
He droned in a flat voice while the audience grew restless.
Monoton hangon beszélt, miközben a közönség egyre nyugtalanabb lett.
She could hear the professor droning at the front of the room.
Learner examples
The teacher droned for an hour.
A tanár egy órán át egyhangúan beszélt.
He droned in a boring voice.
Unalmas, monoton hangon beszélt.
Common mistake:
This verb usually has a negative meaning; it suggests that the speaker is boring.
Meaning
Speak in monotone
Collocations
drone in a monotone
|drone in a flat voice
|drone through a lecture
|drone through instructions
|voice drones
|teacher drones
|speaker drones
Synonyms
monotone (emphasizes the unchanging pitch of the voice)
|
mumble (suggests unclear speech more than boring speech)
|
recite (means to say from memory or a text, without necessarily being boring)
Antonyms
speak animatedly (speak with energy and expression)
|
enthuse (speak with strong interest or excitement)
Themes
communication
|education
|emotions
Definition
to speak in a boring voice that does not change much
to speak in a flat, dull, and unchanging voice
NOUN
C1
INFORMAL
5
Usage pattern:
[office/corporate/worker] drone
He quit his job because he felt like an office drone.
Azért mondott fel, mert úgy érezte, hogy csak egy irodai robot.
The film presents the workers as nameless drones in a huge corporation.
A film a dolgozókat névtelen robotokként mutatja be egy hatalmas vállalatban.
She refused to become a corporate drone in a gray suit.
Learner examples
He felt like a drone at work.
Robotnak érezte magát a munkahelyén.
She did not want to be an office drone.
Nem akart irodai robot lenni.
Common mistake:
This use can sound insulting, so avoid it in polite descriptions of someone's job.
Meaning
Dull routine worker
Collocations
office drone
|corporate drone
|worker drone
|mindless drone
|anonymous drone
|bureaucratic drone
|nine-to-five drone
Synonyms
drudge (emphasizes hard, boring, low-status work)
|
cog (suggests being a small, replaceable part of a large system)
|
functionary (more formal, often about a minor official)
Antonyms
free spirit (someone independent and unconventional)
|
innovator (someone who creates new ideas rather than following routine)
Themes
work
|people
|business
Definition
a person who does boring work like a machine
a person who does boring, repetitive work and seems to have little independence, energy, or imagination
NOUN
B2
6
Usage pattern:
[a] drone; drones and worker bees
The drones leave the hive to mate with a queen from another colony.
A herék kirepülnek a kaptárból, hogy egy másik méhcsalád királynőjével párosodjanak.
Unlike worker bees, drones do not collect nectar.
A dolgozó méhekkel ellentétben a herék nem gyűjtenek nektárt.
In late summer, many colonies force drones out of the hive.
Learner examples
A drone is a male bee.
A here hím méh.
Drones live in a hive with the queen.
A herék a kaptárban élnek a méhkirálynővel.
Common mistake:
A drone bee is male; worker bees are usually female.
Meaning
Male bee
Collocations
drone bee
|queen and drones
|worker bees and drones
|male drone
|drone brood
|drones mate
|drones hatch
Synonyms
male bee (plain descriptive term)
Antonyms
worker bee (a non-reproductive female bee that gathers food and maintains the hive)
|
queen bee (the reproductive female bee in the colony)
Themes
biology
|animals
|nature
Definition
a male bee whose main job is to mate with the queen bee
a male bee in a colony, whose main role is to mate with the queen
NOUN
C1
TECHNICAL
7
bordun
C1
bordunhang
C1
Usage pattern:
[a] drone; [an instrument] plays a drone
The song begins with a deep drone under a simple flute melody.
A dal egy mély bordunnal kezdődik, amely egy egyszerű fuvoladallam alatt szól.
A bagpipe uses drones to create its continuous background sound.
A duda bordunhangokat szólaltat meg, ezek adják a folyamatos háttérhangzást.
The composer built the piece around a single sustained drone.
Learner examples
The music had a low drone.
A zenében mély bordun szólt.
The singer sang over a drone.
Az énekes egy bordunhang fölött énekelt.
Common mistake:
A musical drone is not the whole melody; it is the steady background note or chord.
Meaning
Sustained musical note
Collocations
bagpipe drone
|sustained drone
|low drone
|harmonic drone
|tambura drone
|drone note
|drone chord
|play a drone
|hold a drone
Synonyms
sustained note (general description of a note held for a long time)
|
pedal point (more technical musical term, often in Western harmony)
Antonyms
melody (the moving main tune, rather than a steady background sound)
|
silence (absence of musical sound)
Themes
music
|arts
|sound
Definition
a long background note in music
a continuous note or chord that is held or repeated as a background sound in music
Grammar
Dictionary form
drone
IPA
GB/dɹˈoʊn/
US/dɹˈoʊn/
Syllables & stress
drone (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (drone)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: drone
- Plural: drones
Verb
- Base: drone
- 3rd Person Singular: drones
- Present Participle: droning
- Past: droned
Expressions
drone footage
1/dɹˈoʊn fˈʊtɪd͡ʒ/
fixed phrase
Video filmed by drone
video taken by a drone from the air
Examples
- The documentary includes stunning drone footage of the coastline.
- Police released drone footage showing the flooded streets.
- They used drone footage to show the size of the crowd.
Learner examples
- We watched drone footage of the city.
- The video has beautiful drone footage.
drone on
1/dɹˈoʊn ˈɔn/
phrasal verb
informal
Talk boringly too long
to talk for too long in a boring voice
Examples
- He droned on about his commute until everyone stopped listening.
- The speaker droned on for nearly an hour.
- My uncle can drone on about his old car for ages.
Learner examples
- She droned on about school.
- He droned on for a long time.
drone pilot
1/dɹˈoʊn pˈaɪlət/
fixed phrase
Person controlling drone
a person who flies a drone
Examples
- Certified drone pilots must follow local airspace rules.
- The drone pilot lost signal near the stadium.
- She works as a drone pilot for a real estate company.
Learner examples
- She is a drone pilot.
- The drone pilot flew over the field.
drone show
1/dɹˈoʊn ʃˈoʊ/
fixed phrase
Light display by drones
a show where many lit drones make pictures in the sky
Examples
- The festival ended with a drone show instead of fireworks.
- Hundreds of lights formed animals and stars during the drone show.
- The city planned a drone show over the harbor for New Year's Eve.
Learner examples
- We saw a drone show at night.
- The drone show made shapes in the sky.
drone strike
1/dɹˈoʊn stɹˈaɪk/
fixed phrase
Attack by military drone
an attack made by a drone carrying weapons
Examples
- Officials said the drone strike targeted a weapons depot.
- The village was damaged in a drone strike, according to local reports.
- The government faced criticism over civilian casualties from drone strikes.
Learner examples
- A drone strike hit the truck.
- The news reported a drone strike.
drone swarm
1/dɹˈoʊn swˈɔɹm/
fixed phrase
technical
Coordinated group of drones
many drones flying or working together
Examples
- The company demonstrated a drone swarm that can inspect pipelines.
- Air defenses may struggle against a large drone swarm.
- Researchers are studying how a drone swarm can search disaster areas.
Learner examples
- A drone swarm flew over the field.
- The drone swarm moved together.