# belonging

/bɪˈɫɔŋɪŋ/ (US) · /bɪlˈɒŋɪŋ/ (UK)

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

## Senses

### 1. feeling of acceptance

noun · CEFR B2

the comfortable feeling that you are part of a group and that people accept you.

For teachers: a sense of social or emotional affinity with a particular group, place, or community. Uncountable in this sense.

- After a few months in the new city, she finally felt a sense of belonging.
- The school's mentorship programme is designed to foster a sense of belonging among international students who might otherwise feel isolated.

### 2. personal items

noun · CEFR B1

the things that you own and can carry with you, like clothes or bags.

For teachers: personal items or possessions that one owns. Almost exclusively used in the plural form.

- Please make sure you take all your belongings with you when you leave the train.
- The refugees were forced to flee their homes with only the few personal belongings they could carry in their arms.

### 3. fitting in or being owned

verb · CEFR B1

the -ing form of the verb 'belong', used to describe where someone or something should be.

For teachers: the present participle or gerund of 'belong', indicating a state of being correctly placed, classified, or owned.

- He found a stray cat belonging to the family next door.
- The curator spent years researching the provenance of the painting, eventually proving it was a work belonging to the Dutch Golden Age.

## Examples

- The new student felt a sense of belonging in the club.
- Creating a culture of belonging is essential for keeping employees happy and productive at work.
- Sociologists argue that the digital age has fundamentally altered our sense of belonging, shifting it from local neighborhoods to global online communities based on shared interests.

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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.