Definition of belongingnext

belonging

2 of 2

verb

present participle of belong
1
as in staying
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

2
as in pertaining
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 belonging
Noun
Lucky for fans of Johnson’s home styling, the actor gave us a glimpse at some of her other favorite belongings in a new video for Vogue’s Objects of Affection series. — Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 18 Sep. 2026 In deceptively plain diction, the hurdle of one love relationship provokes an exploration of desire and belonging. — Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
Verb
People can get a sense of community, support and belonging by believing what others in a group believe. — Jonathan Fahey, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026 This suggests that declining faith goes beyond partisanship and reflects a more fundamental question about this group’s sense of belonging. — Diana Orcés, The Conversation, 17 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for belonging
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belonging
Noun
  • Lovely Butterfly moves between the tactility of personal letters and abstraction of aerial digital maps, mediating the scales of intimacy and distance.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Lee’s lines have the intimacy and metaphysical heft of prayer; their elegant recursions and repetitions call to mind the cycles of life, death, and rebirth.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The Red Raiders have been stellar on defense, blanking three opponents and allowing just six points entering last week’s 42-35 win over Cary-Grove that wasn’t decided until the final possession.
    — Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026
  • But Awak Kuier and Bueckers made 3-pointers on Dallas’ next two possessions to pull away.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • In its evolution, resulting in eight ships of varying sizes and amenities, Oceania Cruises keeps its finger on the culinary pulse, staying current with food and drink trends.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Instead of choosing either Cairo or the Nile Valley and staying there for the whole holiday, people design routes incorporating all of these destinations into one route.
    — Connie Etemadi, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • His tenure was cut short amid allegations pertaining to his spending of city funds as well as a relationship with an 18-year-old high school student.
    — Alex Nitzberg, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The web portal will launch with a glossary of some 180 terms pertaining to AI designed to bring standardization to what has been an unruly moving target.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • What drew you to this particular location, and how did its familiarity and natural beauty inform the film’s darker impulses?
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Its autonomous system rerouted the aircraft without needing previous familiarity with the destination airport.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • But thankfully, Lisa Hochstein’s lingerie party sets things back on course.
    — Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Venus in your daily-life zone connects awkwardly with Uranus in your sign, increasing your appetite for novelty, movement, or a different way of doing things.
    — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • But this is Mahomes, Kelce, Jones and coach Andy Reid coming to town with three Super Bowls under their belt and a determination to return to contending form early this season after going 6-11 last year.
    — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Dramatic cuffs added more angles to the look, while the buttons going undone at the waist created a touch of tension that transitioned to Edgar-Jones’ skirt.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Fortune reviewed thousands of text messages exchanged between Garg and Lewis over 13 months that show how quickly the kinship between a founder and an investor who wanted to coach him pivoted into open hostility.
    — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Stolen and enslaved Indigenous people formed new networks of kinship; learned new skills and languages; retained memories of family, kin, and rituals; and, through it all, continually plotted to return home.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Belonging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belonging. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!