belong
belong Lexical Profile
belong Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To be the property or possession of someone (used with 'to').
"That vintage bicycle belongs to my grandfather."
To be a member or part of a particular group, organization, or category (used with 'to').
"Whales belong to the biological order of cetaceans."
To fit in socially or feel comfortable, accepted, and welcomed in a particular place or among a group of people.
"After joining the university choir, she finally felt that she belonged."
To have a proper, suitable, or customary place or position.
"These reference volumes belong on the bottom shelf of the bookcase."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Belong' is a stative intransitive verb and is almost never used in continuous (progressive) tenses (e.g., say 'this book belongs to me', not 'is belonging to me'). It typically requires a preposition such as 'to' for ownership, 'in' or 'on' for proper placement, or 'with' for association.
• Rhymes for belong
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English belongen, an intensive formation combining the prefix be- with longen ('to pertain to, go along with'), from Old English langian.