belonging

[bih-lawng-ing, -long-]

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noun

something that belongs.

belongings, possessions; goods; personal effects.

Origin of belonging

First recorded in 1595–1605; belong + -ing¹

Related formsun·be·long·ing, adjective

belong

[bih-lawng, -long]

verb (used without object)

to be in the relation of a member, adherent, inhabitant, etc. (usually followed by to): He belongs to the Knights of Columbus.

to have the proper qualifications, especially social qualifications, to be a member of a group: You don't belong in this club.

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 Phrases

belong to,

to be the property of: The book belongs to her.
to be a part or adjunct of: That cover belongs to this jar.

Origin of belong

1300–50; Middle English belongen, equivalent to be- be- + longen to belong, verbal derivative of long (adj.) belonging, Old English gelang along

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for belonging

relationship, inclusion, acceptance, loyalty, rapport, affinity, attachment, association, kinship

Examples from the Web for belonging

Contemporary Examples of belonging

The issue explored the theme of vulnerability, “relevant to anyone who seeks understanding, change, love, and belonging.”
The Winning Gay Subtlety of ‘Hello Mr.’
Justin Jones
September 26, 2014
They cross gender boundaries, geography, issues of wealth and belonging.
Colum McCann Talks New Novel ‘TransAtlantic’ and Narrative4
Phil Klay
June 14, 2013
He added that a plant nursery and two tractors, belonging to local Abdel Azziz Nasserallah, were also damaged in the attack.
"They Stepped On Me Like A Dog"
Orly Halpern
May 14, 2013
But New Yorkers are casually tribal, and dual identities often seem like the minimum bid for belonging here.
Former Cop Edward Conlon on What He Learned About Profiling
Edward Conlon
April 7, 2012
He quickly remarried, leaving McWilliam with an almost fairytale sense of not belonging.
Blindness as a Way of Seeing: Candia McWilliam’s Powerful Memoir
Lucy Scholes
April 6, 2012

Historical Examples of belonging

I must say I don't know of any belonging to the latter class.
Ballads of a Bohemian
Robert W. Service
Why resist, and refuse the glory of belonging to the faculty?
The Imaginary Invalid
Molire
He carried Kingozi's rifle, but left that belonging to Winkleman with Mali-ya-bwana.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
You heard what I said, Douw, upon your belonging henceforth to this house--to me?
In the Valley
Harold Frederic
I'll not ask you, with your remembrance of my house and all belonging to it, whether you believe it.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for belonging

belonging

noun

secure relationship; affinity (esp in the phrase a sense of belonging)

belong

verb (intr)

(foll by to) to be the property or possession (of)

(foll by to) to be bound to (a person, place, or club) by ties of affection, dependence, allegiance, or membership

(foll by to, under, with, etc) to be classified (with)this plant belongs to the daisy family

(foll by to) to be a part or adjunct (of)this top belongs to the smaller box

to have a proper or usual placethat plate belongs in the cupboard

informal to be suitable or acceptable, esp sociallyalthough they were rich, they just didn't belong

Word Origin for belong

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for belonging

belong

mid-14c., "to go along with, properly relate to," from be- intensive prefix, + longen "to go," from Old English langian "pertain to, to go along with," of unknown origin. Senses of "be the property of" and "be a member of" first recorded late 14c. Cognate with Middle Dutch belanghen, Dutch belangen, German belangen. Replaced earlier Old English gelang, with completive prefix ge-.

Idioms and Phrases with belonging

belong

see to the victor belong the spoils.