belonging

American  

[bih-lawng-ing, -long-] / bɪˈlɔŋ ɪŋ, -ˈlɒŋ- /

noun

1. something that belongs.

2. belongings, possessions; goods; personal effects.

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belonging British  

/ bɪˈlɒŋɪŋ /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• unbelonging adjective

Etymology

Origin of belonging

First recorded in 1595–1605; belong + -ing ¹

Explanation

Belonging is a sense of fitting in or feeling like you are an important member of a group. A really close family gives each of its members a strong sense of belonging. When you belong, you are an official part of a group ("She belongs to the French club") or you're compatible with certain people or suited to a specific place ("I just belong in nature"). A feeling of belonging describes this sense of truly fitting or meshing, especially with friends, family members, or other sympathetic folks.

Example Sentences

In Bengal, fish is more than food - it is the bloodstream of the cuisine, woven into memory, ritual and everyday life, a marker of both identity and belonging.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

Only drivers belonging to the RMT union are due to walk out - that is roughly half of the total number of drivers on the network.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

There was a powerful sense of Black belonging within a larger landscape.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

Iran is believed to still possess thousands of ballistic missiles, and dozens of fast-attack boats belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could be used to attack nearby vessels.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

I sat on the side of my bed and rustled through the drawer of the night table, through the tissues and reading glasses and Christian Science leaflets belonging to one of Francis’s aged female relatives.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt