belonged; belonging; belongs
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
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
That sense of not belonging, of always seeing things differently, may well have been the beginning of his lifelong pattern: stepping outside convention to build something innovative.
—
Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 19 July 2025
Listen To Employee Sentiment Organizations put RTO policies in place for a reason: to foster collaboration and a sense of belonging.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025
Wonder disarms our defenses and reopens our sense of belonging.
—Melissa Jun Rowley, Rolling Stone, 17 July 2025
In March, hundreds of people were killed during a crackdown on the Alawite sect – to which Assad belonged – in the western city of Latakia, and in April, clashes between pro-government armed forces and Druze militias left at least 100 people dead.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for belong
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.
Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 19 July 2025
Listen To Employee Sentiment Organizations put RTO policies in place for a reason: to foster collaboration and a sense of belonging.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025
Wonder disarms our defenses and reopens our sense of belonging.
—Melissa Jun Rowley, Rolling Stone, 17 July 2025
In March, hundreds of people were killed during a crackdown on the Alawite sect – to which Assad belonged – in the western city of Latakia, and in April, clashes between pro-government armed forces and Druze militias left at least 100 people dead.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for belong
Cite this Entry
“Belong.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/belong. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share