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:
The particles rely on ions of ytterbium and erbium, which belong to the lanthanide family of chemical elements, to carry out the upconversion process.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
It may ultimately belong in a category closer to nuclear technology than to the printing press, electricity or the internet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
As a young veterinarian student, Jacob loses his parents in a tragic accident and jumps a moving train that just happens to belong to the Benzini Bros.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
"These are wild animals, they don't belong in a cage."
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Finding where you belong is always worth the fight.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Bundibugyo belongs to the filovirus family, the same group of viruses that includes the much better-known Ebola virus.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
This anniversary belongs as much to those supporters as anyone.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Zach Bryan, another singer-songwriter capable of filling U.S. stadiums, has said he belongs to neither party.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Jagannathan’s character belongs to an ancient, shape-shifting race created by the Guardians of the Universe as the galaxy’s first police force, but they’ve since gone rogue and are now out to eliminate the human race.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
A central tenet of the Kodály approach is that music belongs to everyone—that an education in music is the right of every human being and cannot be left to chance.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
The court heard that Tajzai, an Afghan asylum seeker, wrongly believed Sherzad belonged to the Taliban, which had kidnapped his father and was suspected of killing him.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
By 1963, Chatfield worked as a teacher at Garces Memorial High School in Bakersfield and created education programs for his students, whose families belonged to a variety of unions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Rather, he was implementing his business strategy by using AI, putting the emphasis where it truly belonged.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
In September, Walters moved out of his childhood home and rented a small house with Oxford that belonged to Oxford’s sister.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
We too belonged to that wide free world.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Physicists classify these particles as belonging to the first generation of matter.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
The hacks occurred while the model was participating in a “capture the flag” exercise conducted on infrastructure belonging to Irregular to test the model’s cybersecurity capabilities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
But by making strides in integrating agency, belonging and cause into your life, you pave the way for a smooth transition.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
Thomas was scanning on farmland belonging to Geraint Edwards, in Llanuwchllyn, Gwynedd, for about 20 minutes when his detector alerted him.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Nobody was around but Snowbell, the white cat belonging to Mrs. Little.
From "Stuart Little" by E.B. White
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.
