ENGLISH
REFERENCE

belonged

v.
A2 Elementary US //bɪˈɫɔŋd// UK //bɪlˈɒŋd// be·longed

v. to be in the right place or to be owned by someone. You use this when something fits into a group or feels correct in a certain spot.

v. to be the property of a person or thing; to be in a proper or appropriate place or situation. Intransitive — does not take a direct object.


SIMPLE

The blue coat belonged to my grandfather.

CONTEXTUAL

She finally felt like she belonged in the city after finding a group of like-minded friends.

COMPLEX

The curator spent years researching the provenance of the painting to prove that it originally belonged to the royal collection before the war.

Synonyms
Usage

The verb is intransitive and is followed by the preposition 'to' when indicating ownership or 'in/at/with' when indicating placement.

Pitfall

The book belonged me.The book belonged to me.Belong is an intransitive verb and requires the preposition 'to' before the person who owns the object.

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