drone strikes

ˈdrōn

noun (1)

a stingless male bee (as of the honeybee) that has the role of mating with the queen and does not gather nectar or pollen

At some point, usually around late spring or early summer in the Midwest, thousands of worker bees and drones—half or more of the colony's total population—may fly away with the old queen to find a new home.—Jim Doherty and Terry Domico

an uncrewed aircraft or vessel guided by remote control or onboard computers: such as

a small remotely-operated rotorcraft usually with a mounted camera Some particularly dramatic drone footage shows the lava field advancing on a neighborhood.—Eric Mack

We drifted past a man who was operating a quadcopter drone with a GoPro attached. It swooped over us and then receded upriver.—Nick Paumgarten

an uncrewed military aircraft or vessel Designed and built in the UK, Taranis is one of the biggest military drones on the battlefield, with a wingspan of almost 12 metres.—How It Works Magazine … waterborne drones are already being deployed by the Navy's 5th Fleet in the waters off the Middle East.—David Sharp Boeing is modifying the retired Lockheed Martin-built F-16s into target drones …—Flight International The CIA has used pilotless drone planes, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), to carry out attacks in countries including Afghanistan and Pakistan.—Mark Thomas If a two-year trial is successful, the Navy might consider developing drone ships for other tasks, such as deactivating unexploded mines.—Kelsey Atherton and Sarah Fecht As the U.S. slashes budgets, the lethality and cost-effectiveness of drone strikes will likely make them an even more attractive option.—Carla Anne Robbins The military is developing these technologies to defend against drone attacks.—Iain Boyd

Armed drones contribute to the illusion that wars can be won on the cheap.—Sarah Kreps and Paul Lushenko

a person who is obliged to do menial work : drudge sense 1

a person whose work is routine and boring : drudge sense 2

one of many office drones

someone or something that lives on the labors of others : parasite

… a new Utopia in which robots … do all the work while human drones recline in pneumatic bliss.—John Diebold

verb

intransitive verb

to make a sustained deep murmuring, humming, or buzzing sound The air conditioner droned.

droning bees

to talk in a persistently dull or monotonous tone

droning on and on about his health

to pass, proceed, or act in a dull, drowsy, or indifferent manner

The afternoon droned on.

transitive verb

to utter or pronounce with a drone

to pass or spend in dull or monotonous activity or in idleness

droning the years away

noun (2)

a deep sustained or monotonous sound : hum

the drone of the motor

music an instrument or part of an instrument (such as one of the fixed-pitch pipes of a bagpipe) that sounds a continuous unvarying tone

music pedal point

noun (1)

a stingless male bee (as of the honeybee) that has the role of mating with the queen and does not gather nectar or pollen

At some point, usually around late spring or early summer in the Midwest, thousands of worker bees and drones—half or more of the colony's total population—may fly away with the old queen to find a new home.—Jim Doherty and Terry Domico

an uncrewed aircraft or vessel guided by remote control or onboard computers: such as

a small remotely-operated rotorcraft usually with a mounted camera Some particularly dramatic drone footage shows the lava field advancing on a neighborhood.—Eric Mack

We drifted past a man who was operating a quadcopter drone with a GoPro attached. It swooped over us and then receded upriver.—Nick Paumgarten

an uncrewed military aircraft or vessel Designed and built in the UK, Taranis is one of the biggest military drones on the battlefield, with a wingspan of almost 12 metres.—How It Works Magazine … waterborne drones are already being deployed by the Navy's 5th Fleet in the waters off the Middle East.—David Sharp Boeing is modifying the retired Lockheed Martin-built F-16s into target drones …—Flight International The CIA has used pilotless drone planes, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), to carry out attacks in countries including Afghanistan and Pakistan.—Mark Thomas If a two-year trial is successful, the Navy might consider developing drone ships for other tasks, such as deactivating unexploded mines.—Kelsey Atherton and Sarah Fecht As the U.S. slashes budgets, the lethality and cost-effectiveness of drone strikes will likely make them an even more attractive option.—Carla Anne Robbins The military is developing these technologies to defend against drone attacks.—Iain Boyd

Armed drones contribute to the illusion that wars can be won on the cheap.—Sarah Kreps and Paul Lushenko

a person who is obliged to do menial work : drudge sense 1

a person whose work is routine and boring : drudge sense 2

one of many office drones

someone or something that lives on the labors of others : parasite

… a new Utopia in which robots … do all the work while human drones recline in pneumatic bliss.—John Diebold

verb

intransitive verb

to make a sustained deep murmuring, humming, or buzzing sound The air conditioner droned.

droning bees

to talk in a persistently dull or monotonous tone

droning on and on about his health

to pass, proceed, or act in a dull, drowsy, or indifferent manner

The afternoon droned on.

transitive verb

to utter or pronounce with a drone

to pass or spend in dull or monotonous activity or in idleness

droning the years away

noun (2)

a deep sustained or monotonous sound : hum

the drone of the motor

music an instrument or part of an instrument (such as one of the fixed-pitch pipes of a bagpipe) that sounds a continuous unvarying tone

music pedal point

Noun (1), Verb, and Noun (2) Middle English, from Old English drān; akin to Old High German treno drone, Greek thrēnos dirge

The first known use of drone was before the 12th century

drone1 of 3noun

a stingless male bee (as of the honeybee) whose only function is to mate with the queen bee

a person who lives off the work of others

informal a person who does dull, menial, or hard work

an uncrewed aircraft or ship guided by remote control or by computers carried onboard

drone2 of 3verb

to make or speak with a continuous low humming sound droned on about himself

a plane droning overhead

drone3 of 3noun

one of the pipes on a bagpipe that sound fixed continuous tones

a deep monotonous sound : hum

drone1 of 3noun

a stingless male bee (as of the honeybee) whose only function is to mate with the queen bee

a person who lives off the work of others

informal a person who does dull, menial, or hard work

an uncrewed aircraft or ship guided by remote control or by computers carried onboard

drone2 of 3verb

to make or speak with a continuous low humming sound droned on about himself

a plane droning overhead

drone3 of 3noun

one of the pipes on a bagpipe that sound fixed continuous tones

a deep monotonous sound : hum

drone1 of 3noun

a stingless male bee (as of the honeybee) whose only function is to mate with the queen bee

a person who lives off the work of others

informal a person who does dull, menial, or hard work

an uncrewed aircraft or ship guided by remote control or by computers carried onboard

drone2 of 3verb

to make or speak with a continuous low humming sound droned on about himself

a plane droning overhead

drone3 of 3noun

one of the pipes on a bagpipe that sound fixed continuous tones

a deep monotonous sound : hum