belong

verb

bi-ˈlȯŋ How to pronounce belong (audio)
Definition of belongnext
1
as in to stay
to have or be in a usual or proper place your shoes belong in the closet, not in the middle of the living room where people will trip on them

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to pertain
to be the property of a person or group of persons those textbooks belong to the school system and not to the students

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of belong The scholarship suggests that statelessness is less an administrative oversight than a consequence of the ways states define who belongs. — H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 24 July 2026 The only other movie that belongs in the conversation is Project Hail Mary. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 24 July 2026 Only Zendaya could convince the internet that tennis balls belong on stilettos. — Amanda Le, InStyle, 23 July 2026 From that moment on, her journey becomes one of memory, identity, and belonging, connecting different territories across the Portuguese-speaking world. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 23 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for belong
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belong
  1. stay
  2. pertain
  3. go
Verb
  • Nearly 8,000 hectares of forest have also been lost, according to Zainetti, who stayed to help coordinate the emergency response.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 28 July 2026
  • Connecting rooms are available (as are babysitting services), and the young visitors staying at the same time as us were embraced with just the same warmth and care as their parents.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 July 2026
Definition of stay
Verb
  • The senator recently released more than 1,000 pages of Fauci’s personal records, including his pandemic-era diary, and several batches of documents pertaining to the origins of the coronavirus.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 29 July 2026
  • There are examples of this sort of thing across college athletics, where players try to avoid paying a buyout that pertains to their previous school.
    — Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of pertain
Verb
  • Fans were in horror before going quiet as Aubrey Edwards called for the bell.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • But Tessarion’s always there and there’s a love and a deep appreciation that goes both ways with them.
    — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 27 July 2026
Definition of go

Browse Nearby Words

belly up
belong
belonged
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Belong.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belong. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on belong

Nglish: Translation of belong for Spanish Speakers

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