belong

verb

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be·long | \ bi-ˈlȯŋ

, bē- \

belonged; belonging; belongs

Definition of belong

intransitive verb

1a : 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

2a : 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 More Example Sentences Learn More About belong

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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 Laundrie has been charged with using two financial accounts that did not belong to him between August 30 and September 1. — Amir Vera, CNN, 2 Oct. 2021 But humanity tries anyway, arrogating to itself a power that doesn’t belong to it. — Anthony Domestico, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2021 WhatsApp users can back up their data and store it on clouds that don’t belong to Facebook. — Chris Smith, BGR, 10 Sep. 2021 No Way Home is bringing together Marvel characters that don't even belong in the Marvel Cinematic Universe of Disney's Avengers, but the film still won't be returning the Defenders of Hell's Kitchen. — Nick Romano, EW.com, 2 Sep. 2021 There’s stuff in the game that doesn’t belong in the game. — BostonGlobe.com, 14 July 2021 Canons define a tradition, a culture, a civilization by excluding things that don’t belong to it. — Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 31 May 2021 Human remains believed to belong to a Florida woman reported missing after her fiancé returned home from a monthslong van trip without her were found in a national park in Wyoming on Sunday, the F.B.I. said at a news conference. — New York Times, 19 Sep. 2021 Many workers value their freedom to choose whether to belong to a union or not and will resent that being taken away. . . . — Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 10 Sep. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'belong.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.