# belong

/bɪˈɫɔŋ/ (US) · /bɪlˈɒŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/belong
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. ownership

verb · CEFR A2

to be the property of someone.

For teachers: to be the property of a person or entity; used with the preposition 'to'.

- Does this umbrella belong to you, or did someone leave it behind?
- The disputed territory has belonged to the crown for centuries, though recent legal challenges have questioned the validity of the original deed.

Usage: Always used with 'to' when indicating an owner.

### 2. membership

verb · CEFR A2

to be a member of a group, club, or organization.

For teachers: to be a member of a particular group, organization, or social class.

- She belongs to a local swimming club that meets every Tuesday.
- He never felt that he truly belonged to the academic elite, despite his significant contributions to the field of linguistics.

Usage: Usually followed by 'to' and a noun phrase representing the group.

### 3. proper place

verb · CEFR B1

to be in the right or natural position.

For teachers: to be in a correct, proper, or appropriate location or situation.

- The forks belong in the top drawer next to the knives.
- After years of travelling, she finally found a small coastal town where she felt she truly belonged.

Usage: Often followed by a preposition of place like 'in', 'on', or 'under'.

### 4. mathematics

verb · CEFR C1 · Technical

to be a part of a set of numbers or objects.

For teachers: to be an element of a mathematical set.

- In this equation, the variable x belongs to the set of real numbers.
- The proof demonstrates that any integer satisfying these conditions must necessarily belong to the subset of prime numbers.

Usage: Used with 'to' to indicate set membership.

## Examples

- These books belong on the top shelf.
- After moving to the new city, it took several months before she felt like she truly started to belong.
- The curator spent years verifying the provenance of the painting to ensure it would eventually belong to the national gallery's permanent collection.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.