Meaning & use
he droned on
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformal
he spoke for a long time in a boring, dull voice, making others lose interest.
Grammar: The phrase is intransitive: it does not take an object. Use 'about' before the subject: 'He droned on about the rules.'
Patterns
- drone on about something
- drone on for hours
- drone on and on
The teacher droned on about grammar rules until the whole class was half asleep.
He droned on for an hour without noticing that nobody was listening.
At the meeting, she droned on about sales figures while everyone checked their phones.
Common combinations
- drone on about something
- He droned on about his old car for the entire dinner.
- drone on for hours
- The speaker droned on for hours, and people started to leave.
- drone on and on
- She droned on and on until I wanted to scream.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ramble on
- Similar, but it suggests confused or endless talking without a clear point, not necessarily a dull voice.
- go on
- A neutral phrase meaning to continue talking; it does not by itself suggest boredom.
- lecture
- Stronger and more critical; it suggests talking to someone in a serious, teaching way, often when they do not want it.
Word family
Commonly confused: he droned on or drone?
he droned on vs drone
As a noun, 'drone' often means a small flying machine or a low sound; 'drone on' is the phrasal verb meaning to talk boringly.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'drone on' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Drone on' is intransitive and takes 'about' before the topic: 'drone on about something'. The other prepositions do not fit this phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “he droned on”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.