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:
Some go their whole lives searching for it, aching to find where they belong, or what gives them purpose.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
Rubio issued a warning to them and other U.S. allies that belong to the court.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
But critics question whether they belong in areas earmarked for new homes and have raised concerns about their energy use, water consumption and environmental impacts.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
And through his books and teachings, to remind us all that we belong to each other.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
At first, Danny thought he looked like he could belong to them.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
The organism at the center of the discovery belongs to a group of protists called ciliates.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
If Mr. Sun belongs to this nascent scene, it’s one he has helped shape and support.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Misty carries herself imperiously, faking success with a Birkin bag and beachfront crash pad that belongs to a dead lover whose widow wants it back.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Let’s get the awkward stuff out of the way: the inheritance belongs to him.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
But as we stand over the gravestone she will share with Grandpa, listening to Ruth blow her nose, I imagine that the stone belongs to someone else.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
Opened in 1960, it houses a variety of objects that once belonged to him, including his easel and wheelchair, as well as photographs and personal letters.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
In the 1980s, the most iconic look in the National Football League belonged to a cigar chomping man in a Chicago Bears sweater vest named Mike Ditka.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
In telework plans signed over several years, the employee submitted a California address, which he explained later had belonged to a family member.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
The protist belonged to a previously unidentified species, and its genetic instructions appeared to operate according to an unusual set of rules.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
The wild robot was back where she belonged.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
Archaeologists from La Trobe University have described 18 newly published hominin fossils from South Africa, including a second skull fragment belonging to Homo erectus.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
A drone caused a fire at a data centre belonging to Russian technology company Yandex, the company told AFP Thursday, in the first such strike of its kind on Russia.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Tina, who has been ringing for 40 years, says one of the biggest attractions is the sense of belonging it creates.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
But growing up in Los Angeles, he found a sense of belonging in a multicultural community that gave him an appreciation for different cultures, cuisines and music.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Faint though it was, Taran recognized it as belonging to the bard.
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
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.
