belonging
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of belonging
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
To investigate further, the team re examined every fossil bone previously identified as belonging to geese.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
The paper said that many had, including a private investigator hacking into a phone belonging to the murdered teenager Milly Dowler, for a News of the World story.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
The small open spaces of the La Lucha neighborhood are filled with tents belonging to residents anxiously awaiting government repairs to their homes.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
In one meeting, church leaders pulled out a Clearwater map showing properties belonging to the church and Scientologist-run companies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
The promise of Paris had brought Aru one tiny step closer to belonging.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
Officers searched their home for hours, rifling through personal belongings.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Zakharchenko and her family are packing up their belongings as they look for another place to rent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
State courts have repeatedly ruled that there is no single way to determine where someone lives, and judges must consider multiple factors, such as where a voter sleeps or stores personal belongings.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
He can return home one time with law enforcement to collect his belongings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
Did Ridge Sabio travel with any belongings other than his clothing?
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
