1
as in humming
to fly, turn, or move rapidly with a fluttering or vibratory sound
the sound of droning bees all around us
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in idling
to spend time doing nothing
instead of getting a job, he preferred to drone and live off his parents
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of droning
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
Instead, there’s a surplus of annoying, droning noise.
—Luke Cyphers, Sportico.com, 11 June 2026
There’s no sound more evocative of summer than that of an old-school ice cream maker’s motor droning its monotonous naaaaaaaa with the backbeat of gas station ice and rock salt grinding and shifting against the spinning ice cream cannister.
—Josh Miller, Southern Living, 31 May 2026
Here, a morning coffee on the sea-view private sun terrace comes complete with diving swifts and droning dragonflies, not to mention the sound of pulling tides.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 May 2026
The constant, incessant, droning sounds in between each pitch that blare from the sound system are manufactured slop, screeching ‘NEW YORKKKKKKKK!
—Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Teak Didgeridoo Didgeridoos are wind instruments originating from Indigenous Australian culture and are typically used for rhythmic, droning sound production.
—Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 9 Apr. 2026
The conventional gearbox also avoids the droning often associated with continuously variable transmissions (CVTs).
—New Atlas, 29 Mar. 2026
The album opens with droning, distorted guitars, a funereal chug enlivened by unexpectedly gargantuan drums.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 18 Mar. 2026
Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 14 June 2026
Instead, there’s a surplus of annoying, droning noise.
—Luke Cyphers, Sportico.com, 11 June 2026
There’s no sound more evocative of summer than that of an old-school ice cream maker’s motor droning its monotonous naaaaaaaa with the backbeat of gas station ice and rock salt grinding and shifting against the spinning ice cream cannister.
—Josh Miller, Southern Living, 31 May 2026
Here, a morning coffee on the sea-view private sun terrace comes complete with diving swifts and droning dragonflies, not to mention the sound of pulling tides.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 May 2026
The constant, incessant, droning sounds in between each pitch that blare from the sound system are manufactured slop, screeching ‘NEW YORKKKKKKKK!
—Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Teak Didgeridoo Didgeridoos are wind instruments originating from Indigenous Australian culture and are typically used for rhythmic, droning sound production.
—Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 9 Apr. 2026
The conventional gearbox also avoids the droning often associated with continuously variable transmissions (CVTs).
—New Atlas, 29 Mar. 2026
The album opens with droning, distorted guitars, a funereal chug enlivened by unexpectedly gargantuan drums.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 18 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for droning
Verb
-
Paper-thin hotel walls, hallway chatter, humming AC units—travel comes with plenty of sleep interruptions.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
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Never forget, this place is a cultural cornerstone, extending far beyond the sterile, humming servers of the tech sector.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Last week's sell-off was triggered on Wednesday by idling – though robust – revenue projections from chipmaker Broadcom and may have been exacerbated by a call from artificial intelligence startup Anthropic for the sector to slow down its pace of advancements .—
Tobias Burns,
CNBC,
9 June 2026
-
The problem is that powering up the engines, idling them, and then using their massive power just to trundle around the tarmac is scarcely economical.—
David Szondy
June 07,
New Atlas,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
The Great Hall at the CBS Philadelphia studios was buzzing all day as an army of volunteers took donations and honored the memory of Alex Scott, the little girl who started it all.—
CBS News Philadelphia Staff,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
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On Thursday, business was buzzing, perhaps partly because Brittany Mahomes, spouse of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, shared the post on her Instagram page.—
Eric Adler
June 18,
Kansas City Star,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
After chilling, the graham crackers soften for easy slicing.—
Mary Shannon Wells,
Southern Living,
8 June 2026
-
The initiative risks further chilling negotiations on a truce extension, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and paving the way for more detailed talks over Iran’s nuclear program.—
Jennifer A. Dlouhy,
Fortune,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
Based on the Los Angeles and Atlanta terminals, travelers on domestic flights typically spend one hour lounging before going through security, and those on international flights take about 90 minutes, Porter said.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
18 June 2026
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Beautifully landscaped, it shifts from shallow lounging areas suitable for children into deeper sections for proper swimming.—
Arion McNicoll,
TheWeek,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Dallas Stadium’s long-term grass future Once engineers figured out that drainage was a major problem in sustaining quality grass indoors, putting down a playing surface for a football, futbol or a soccer game wasn’t that hard.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 June 2026
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Even playing in the large San Francisco market and increasing payroll from $175 million in 2024 to $210 million in 2026.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2026
Verb
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Indeed, Ederson has moments where he can be caught dawdling with the ball, hoping for an opening that doesn’t always arrive.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
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Further, there’s no excuse for Congress to continue dawdling on farm policy.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Martin removed his right fielder for loafing on a ball hit to the outfield.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
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Kids who used to run to the field excited to play, suddenly started loafing to the field wearing their crocs with their heads buried in their phones.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Droning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/droning. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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