to be in the relation of a member, adherent, inhabitant, etc. (usually followed by to): He belongs to the Knights of Columbus.
to have the proper qualifications, especially social qualifications, to be a member of a group: You don't belong in this club.
to be proper or due; be properly or appropriately placed, situated, etc.: Books belong in every home. This belongs on the shelf. He is a statesman who belongs among the great.
Verb Phrases
belong to,
to be the property of: The book belongs to her.
to be a part or adjunct of: That cover belongs to this jar.
Origin of belong
1300–50; Middle English belongen, equivalent to be- be- + longen to belong, verbal derivative of long (adj.) belonging, Old English gelang along
Imagine what we could achieve — the coalition we are building this very season, gathering progressives and moderates, independents and even former Republicans, to help build a future where everyone belongs.
Buttigieg invokes progress of LGBTQ movement at Democratic convention|Chris Johnson|August 21, 2020|Washington Blade
At the time, they both belonged to very small minorities in the US.
This immigration law heralded Kamala Harris’s VP nomination|Dan Kopf|August 19, 2020|Quartz
The school board also plans to hold an equity workshop – with help from the San Diego County Office of Education – to decide what belongs in a new equity policy, initially drafted by the California School Boards Association.
‘Educate, Not Indoctrinate’: Anti-Racism Push in Coronado Schools Fuels Backlash|Ashly McGlone|August 18, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Moreover, Google allows you to choose from a vast assortment of fanbases, such that those belonging to the travel and tourism, global business, the sports world, and the others.
How to use in-market audiences for better search campaigns|Harikrishna Kundariya|August 18, 2020|Search Engine Watch
Months later, without asking McGlone, the university then narrowed the request to just three email accounts belonging to the chancellor, environmental health and safety director and the campus emergency manager.
We’re Suing for COVID-19 Data|Scott Lewis and Jesse Marx|August 14, 2020|Voice of San Diego
He also earned a Grammy and platinum record for “Up Where We Belong.”
The Greatest Rock Voice of All Time Belonged to Joe Cocker|Ted Gioia|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They seem to belong to us, and then they freely go—behavior very uncharacteristic of a shadow or a shoe.
Owning Up to Possession’s Downside|Samantha Harvey|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Most Jamaicans are religious and belong to fundamentalist Christian denominations,” he said.
How Maurice Tomlinson Was Outed in Jamaica—and Forced Into Exile|Jay Michaelson|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Others earn our admiration because they belong more to a particular moment.
Renaissance Man Jared Leto Defies Categorization|The Daily Beast|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They need to feel like they belong to something and are unable to think for themselves.
The Hot Designer Who Hates Fashion: VK Nagrani Triumphs His Own Way|Tom Teodorczuk|December 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But as you did not belong to me then, whatever you may have done was no disgrace to me.
The Continental Monthly, Vol III, Issue VI, June, 1863|Various
I belong so much to the stunned sleepers in the straw who cannot feel.
A Journal of Impressions in Belgium|May Sinclair
To repeat: Our intellect is not ours, it does not belong to man, but it together with man belongs to the universe.
The Positive Outcome of Philosophy|Joseph Dietzgen
Two shrubby species of Euonymus belong to the flora of North America, but the bulk of the large family is tropical.
Trees Worth Knowing|Julia Ellen Rogers
Of course, however, it is one thing to be admitted to Virginia society and another to belong to it by right.
American Adventures|Julian Street
British Dictionary definitions for belong
belong
/ (bɪˈlɒŋ) /
verb(intr)
(foll by to)to be the property or possession (of)
(foll by to)to be bound to (a person, place, or club) by ties of affection, dependence, allegiance, or membership
(foll by to, under, with, etc) to be classified (with)this plant belongs to the daisy family
(foll by to)to be a part or adjunct (of)this top belongs to the smaller box
to have a proper or usual placethat plate belongs in the cupboard
informalto be suitable or acceptable, esp sociallyalthough they were rich, they just didn't belong
Word Origin for belong
C14 belongen, from be- (intensive) + longen; related to Old High German bilangēn to reach; see long ³