belong

[ bih-lawng, -long ]

verb (used without object)

1. to be in the relation of a member, adherent, inhabitant, etc. (usually followed by to ):

   He belongs to the Knights of Columbus.

2. to have the proper qualifications, especially social qualifications, to be a member of a group:

   You don't belong in this club.

3. to be proper or due; be properly or appropriately placed, situated, etc.:

   Books belong in every home. This belongs on the shelf. He is a statesman who belongs among the great.

verb phrase

1. 1. to be the property of:

      The book belongs to her.

   2. to be a part or adjunct of:

      That cover belongs to this jar.

belong

/ bɪˈlɒŋ /

verb

1. foll by to to be the property or possession (of)
2. foll by to to be bound to (a person, place, or club) by ties of affection, dependence, allegiance, or membership
3. foll byto, under, with, etc to be classified (with)

   this plant belongs to the daisy family

4. foll by to to be a part or adjunct (of)

   this top belongs to the smaller box

5. to have a proper or usual place

   that plate belongs in the cupboard

6. informal.
   to be suitable or acceptable, esp socially

   although they were rich, they just didn't belong

Word History and Origins

Origin of belong¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English belongen, from be- be- + longen “to belong,” verb derivative of long (adjective), Old English gelang “belonging to, dependent on”; along ( def ), long ³( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of belong¹

C14 belongen , from be- (intensive) + longen ; related to Old High German bilangēn to reach; see long ³

Idioms and Phrases

see to the victor belong the spoils .

Example Sentences

Imagine what we could achieve — the coalition we are building this very season, gathering progressives and moderates, independents and even former Republicans, to help build a future where everyone belongs.

From Washington Blade

At the time, they both belonged to very small minorities in the US.

From Quartz

The school board also plans to hold an equity workshop – with help from the San Diego County Office of Education – to decide what belongs in a new equity policy, initially drafted by the California School Boards Association.

From Voice of San Diego

Moreover, Google allows you to choose from a vast assortment of fanbases, such that those belonging to the travel and tourism, global business, the sports world, and the others.

From Search Engine Watch

Months later, without asking McGlone, the university then narrowed the request to just three email accounts belonging to the chancellor, environmental health and safety director and the campus emergency manager.

From Voice of San Diego

He also earned a Grammy and platinum record for “Up Where We Belong.”

From The Daily Beast

They seem to belong to us, and then they freely go—behavior very uncharacteristic of a shadow or a shoe.

From The Daily Beast

“For the record, I do not believe unions belong in government—including the police force,” Sherk said in an e-mail.

From The Daily Beast

“Most Jamaicans are religious and belong to fundamentalist Christian denominations,” he said.

From The Daily Beast

Others earn our admiration because they belong more to a particular moment.

From The Daily Beast

The seeds, however, are so small that the variety to which they belong cannot be determined except by planting or sowing them.

From Project Gutenberg

I should judge from the streets that not more than one-fourth of the females of Galway belong to the shoe-wearing aristocracy.

From Project Gutenberg

The leukocytes of pus, pus-corpuscles, belong almost wholly to this variety.

From Project Gutenberg

He explained quietly that he did not belong here, but was making a tour of the parishes of Wurttemberg and Baden.

From Project Gutenberg

The great majority belong to the colon bacillus group, and are negative to Gram's method of staining.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• apply
• exist
• fit
• reside