drone

drone on

To talk at length in a monotone. If you keep droning on like this, you're going to put your audience to sleep. A: "The professor's already been droning on about polynomials for an hour." B: "Oh, so that's why I lost interest an hour ago!" If Dave wants to be an engaging public speaker, he needs to learn not to drone on and on about stuff no one cares about.

See also: drone, on

drone out

To say something in a monotone. A noun or pronoun can be used between "drone" and "out." If you keep droning out information, you're going to put your audience to sleep. A: "The professor's already been droning out methods of solving polynomials for an hour." B: "Oh, so that's why I lost interest an hour ago!" If Dave wants to be an engaging public speaker, he needs to not drone out facts about this kind of stuff—no one cares!

See also: drone, out

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

drone on (about someone or something)

to lecture or narrate in a low-pitched, dull, and boring manner. The dull old professor droned on about Byron—or was it Keats? It was Shelley and, yes, he did drone on.

See also: drone, on

drone (something) out

to make a loud and low-pitched noise; to say something in a low-pitched and monotonous manner. The announcer droned the winning numbers out. She droned out the winning numbers.

See also: drone, out

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.