ENGLISH
REFERENCE

belong

v.
A2 Elementary Oxford US //bɪˈɫɔŋ// UK //bɪlˈɒŋ// be·long Archaic General-service

v. to be in the right place or to feel comfortable in a group. It also means that something is owned by someone.

v. to be in a proper, natural, or appropriate location or situation; to be the property of a specific person or entity.


SIMPLE

These books belong on the top shelf.

CONTEXTUAL

After moving to the new city, it took several months before she felt like she truly started to belong.

COMPLEX

The curator spent years verifying the provenance of the painting to ensure it would eventually belong to the national gallery's permanent collection.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English belongen, bilongen, from Middle English be- + longen (“to be fitting, be suitable”), from Old English langian (“to pertain to, suit”), equivalent to be- + long (“to belong”). Compare Saterland Frisian beloangje (“to attain, reach, meet”), Dutch belangen (“to concern”), German belangen (“to sue, concern”).

Etymology 2

Compare Australian Kriol blanga, Bislama blong, Tok Pisin bilong, and Torres Strait Creole blong.

Usage

The verb is intransitive and frequently takes the preposition 'to' when indicating ownership or membership.

Pitfall

This phone belongs me.This phone belongs to me.Belong is an intransitive verb and requires the preposition 'to' before the person who owns the object.

© 2026 English Reference