belong to sth
phrasal verb.phrasal verb. To be the property of someone, or to be a member of a group or organization.
phrasal verb. A stative verb indicating ownership, possession, or membership in a group or category. It requires a prepositional complement introduced by 'to'.
This book belongs to me.
He belongs to the local chess club and plays there every weekend.
These ancient artifacts belong to a period of history about which very little is known, making them invaluable to researchers.
- be owned by
- be a member of
- be part of
- be separate from
- be excluded from
- Particles
- to
- Separability
- inseparable
- Pattern
- belong + to + object
As a stative verb, 'belong to' is not typically used in continuous (-ing) forms.
Emphasize that 'belong' is a stative verb, so learners should avoid progressive forms like *'is belonging to'.
This car is belonging to my father.This car belongs to my father.'Belong' is a stative verb describing a state, not an action, so it is not used in the continuous tense.
Last updated April 24, 2026