belonged; belonging; belongs
1
a
: to be suitable, appropriate, or advantageous
a dictionary belongs in every home
b
: to be in a proper situation
a man of his ability belongs in teaching
2
a
: to be the property of a person or thing
—used with to
the book belongs to me
b
: to be attached or bound by birth, allegiance, or dependency
—usually used with to
they belong to their homeland
c
: to be a member of a club, organization, or set
—usually used with to
she belongs to a country club
3
: to be an attribute, part, adjunct, or function of a person or thing
nuts and bolts belong to a car
4
: to be properly classified
Examples of belong in a Sentence
She was here for 15 years, but she never really belonged.
your shoes belong in the closet, not in the middle of the living room where people will trip on them
Recent Examples on the Web
And with a home came community, familiarity, a sense of belonging.
—
Hazlitt, 5 June 2024
Empowering clinicians to foster a supportive environment for professional growth generates a sense of belonging within the organization.
—Tracy Yochum, Miami Herald, 5 June 2024
On June 9, Mars will enter your 11th house of community affairs, emphasizing long-term goals and your sense of belonging in the world.
—Valerie Mesa, Peoplemag, 1 June 2024
The report also lays out multiple suggestions to help improve economic mobility in Morgan Hill — from building more extremely low-income housing to improving outreach and efforts to foster a sense of belonging with Spanish-speaking and minority residents.
—Luis Melecio-Zambrano, The Mercury News, 31 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for belong 
Hazlitt, 5 June 2024
Empowering clinicians to foster a supportive environment for professional growth generates a sense of belonging within the organization.
—Tracy Yochum, Miami Herald, 5 June 2024
On June 9, Mars will enter your 11th house of community affairs, emphasizing long-term goals and your sense of belonging in the world.
—Valerie Mesa, Peoplemag, 1 June 2024
The report also lays out multiple suggestions to help improve economic mobility in Morgan Hill — from building more extremely low-income housing to improving outreach and efforts to foster a sense of belonging with Spanish-speaking and minority residents.
—Luis Melecio-Zambrano, The Mercury News, 31 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for belong
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'belong.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near belong
Cite this Entry
“Belong.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/belong. Accessed 8 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
belong
verb
be·long
bi-ˈlȯŋ 
1
: to be in a proper place
this book belongs on the top shelf
2
a
: to be the property of a person or group of persons
the watch belongs to me
b
: to be a member
belongs to our club
3
: to be a part of : be connected with : go with
the parts belonging to the clock
4
: to be classified
whales belong among the mammals
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