belong
Americanverb (used without object)
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to be in the relation of a member, adherent, inhabitant, etc. (usually followed byto ).
He belongs to the Knights of Columbus.
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to have the proper qualifications, especially social qualifications, to be a member of a group.
You don't belong in this club.
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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
verb
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(foll by to) to be the property or possession (of)
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(foll by to) to be bound to (a person, place, or club) by ties of affection, dependence, allegiance, or membership
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to be classified (with)
this plant belongs to the daisy family
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(foll by to) to be a part or adjunct (of)
this top belongs to the smaller box
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to have a proper or usual place
that plate belongs in the cupboard
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informal to be suitable or acceptable, esp socially
although they were rich, they just didn't belong
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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belongsimple
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belongssimple
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have belongedperfect
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has belongedperfect
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am belongingprogressive
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are belongingprogressive
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is belongingprogressive
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have been belongingperfect progressive
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has been belongingperfect progressive
Past
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belongedsimple
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had belongedperfect
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was belongingprogressive
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were belongingprogressive
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had been belongingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of belong
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”; cf. along ( def. ), long 3 ( def. )
Explanation
Things that belong to you are your property — in other words, you own them. Your prized rock collection belongs to you. There are several ways to use the verb belong. Items you buy or that are given to you belong to you. You also belong to a group of friends — you fit in, or are a member. When you feel at home somewhere, as though you're meant to be there, you also belong: "I belong in a big city!" The 14th century meaning of belong was "to go along with," from be- and longen, "to go."
Vocabulary lists containing belong
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:
"The next 15 to 20 years belong to Lamine, if he wants."
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
The team believes Mount Etna may belong to a little known fourth category known as "petit-spot" volcanoes.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026
Topics can range from a formative book to a community students belong to.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Next to the black rotary phone, which used to belong to Bozeman’s mother, a pink rock appeared one day with the words, “You are Beautiful.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
Skunks are wild animals, and wild animals belong in the wild.
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
Michigan, or the titanic struggle of Joey Chestnut vs. a hot dog, the distinction of greatest rivalry in sports belongs to a showdown that isn’t such a regular fixture on the calendar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
"Spain belongs to those who love it and work for it. Not to those who shame it with xenophobic statements."
From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026
Another remarkable thing about orforglipron is that it belongs to a new category of drugs called small-molecule drugs.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 8, 2026
Ultimately, if she is of sound mind, the decision belongs to her.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
The lot where Fischer was buried belongs to the family of Gardar Sverisson, a close friend of Miyoko Watai, one of the claimants to the estate of Bobby.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Meanwhile, a team of climbers stumbled upon a preserved boot, which is believed to have belonged to Irvine, after it was revealed by melting ice on a glacier in 2024.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
The researchers initially suspected pristane and phytane belonged to this second category.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
Remember when the biggest Emmy question about “The Bear” revolved around whether it belonged in the comedy categories?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
Instead, she places Black Americans, Black intellectuals, and Black constitutional struggle where they have always belonged: at the center of the 14th Amendment.
From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026
The store, and all its contents, no longer belonged to our family.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
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
What makes an influencer decide to trademark a phrase that people recognize as belonging to the internet?
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
Researchers identified bones there belonging to at least twelve Neanderthals.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 7, 2026
Its founder Bob Fu welcomed his release, while noting that "countless" religious practitioners, including eight belonging to the Zion Church, remained incarcerated in China.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
There’s a mess in my head—a mess of threads belonging to Jasmine and my brother and Sandy and that tent in the backyard and all the dragonflies.
From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender
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.
