belong

verb

be·​long bi-ˈlȯŋ 

bē-

belonged; belonging; belongs

intransitive verb

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

auxiliary verb

chiefly Southern US and south Midland US : ought, must

Synonyms

• stay
• go

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

Perhaps Homo erectus belongs with them on the natural side of that sharp dividing line, its stone akin to their sticks. —Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025

Pluto will station direct that same day, turning collective power struggles into a plan of action with forward momentum — the same goes for our personal lives and our sense of belonging in the world. —Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025

Let’s be the city that bends that curve in the right direction by making room for more families who want to learn, work and belong here. —Belal Aftab, Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2025

Cincinnati believed Browning belonged in the conversation of the best 32 quarterbacks in this league, but through two weeks, an offense with Chase, Higgins, Chase Brown, Mike Gesicki and more has been toothless. —Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English belongen, from be- be- + longen "to be suitable" — more at long entry 5

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing belong

• belong to

Rhymes for belong

• agung
• along
• birdsong
• furlong
• headlong
• headstrong
• lifelong
• plainsong
• prolong
• sarong
• tanjong
• weeklong

Kids 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