belong
Americanverb (used without object)
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belongs,
present (3rd person singular)
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belonged,
past participle, past
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belonging
present participle
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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:
However, other properties are seen in the couple’s social media posts, although it’s unclear whether these belong to Pratt and Schwarzenegger or are instead the homes of their friends and loved ones.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
The move signaled these aren’t core items that belong in a recurring earnings stream.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
It’s unclear whether the remains belong to a man or woman, authorities said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
It would take time, however, to determine who they were, as the commission will need to ascertain whether the identity tags and Kuban shield actually belong to the two soldiers found.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
“You would be accepted into any realm tonight, whether you belong there or not.”
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Cole doesn’t consider travel a cure-all for poor mental health, but she thinks it belongs in the same conversation as the other things doctors tell aging patients to give priority to.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Acanthosaura syrax belongs to a group of agamid lizards known as mountain horned dragons, which are distinguished by the spiny crests that extend along the neck and back.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
Schools across the country are already wrestling with how much artificial intelligence belongs in education.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
The egg belongs to parents French and Frank, with staff at the zoo saying the chick has already overcome several obstacles to survive - including the heat.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
The 0 comes after the 9, not before the 1 where it belongs.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Conceived as a vehicle for several Brat Pack actors of the time including Charlie Sheen and Kiefer Sutherland, the film nonetheless belonged to Curry, who relished every line of villainy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
It was a strange little society of meats that belonged neither behind the butcher counter nor among the premium lunch meats — the thin-sliced turkey in its tidy package, the glossy hunk of honey ham.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
The participants belonged to the OneK1K cohort, a major Australian research project created to investigate how genetics affects individual immune cells across a large population.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
In a statement on Wednesday, Nîmes prosecutor Cécile Gensac confirmed the body found in the Saint-Gilles vineyard belonged to social media influencer Sonia Bellina.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
On the table beside the bed was something that belonged to his father.
From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry
It centred around Meta's historic gathering and use of data belonging to children under the age of 13 over a period of several years.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Theater, in other words, that was creating a sense of belonging and not simply stoking an appetite for consuming.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
The study also found that medications belonging to the same drug class did not necessarily affect the microbiome in the same way.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
Media reported a TikTok account belonging to the youth was being investigated.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
In words belonging to chemistry derivatives in -ic denote the acid containing most oxygen, when more than one is formed: as nitric acid.
From New Word-Analysis by William Swinton
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.
