BELONG

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does belong mean? 

• BELONG (verb)
  The verb BELONG has 6 senses:

1. be owned by; be in the possession of

2. be suitable or acceptable

3. be in the right place or situation

4. be rightly classified in a class or category

5. be a member, adherent, inhabitant, etc. (of a group, organization, or place)

6. be a part or adjunct

  Familiarity information: BELONG used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BELONG (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they belong    ... he / she / it belongs   
Past simple: belonged   
Past participle: belonged   
-ing form: belonging   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Be owned by; be in the possession of

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Context example:

This book belongs to me

Hypernyms (to "belong" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Sentence frame:

Something ----s somebody

Derivation:

belongings (something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Be suitable or acceptable

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Context example:

This student somehow doesn't belong

Hypernyms (to "belong" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Sense 3

Meaning:

Be in the right place or situation

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

belong; go

Context example:

Where do these books go?

Hypernyms (to "belong" is one way to...):

be (occupy a certain position or area; be somewhere)

Sentence frames:

Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Sentence example:

The chairs belong in the corner

Sense 4

Meaning:

Be rightly classified in a class or category

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Context example:

The whales belong among the mammals

Hypernyms (to "belong" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Sentence frames:

Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Sense 5

Meaning:

Be a member, adherent, inhabitant, etc. (of a group, organization, or place)

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Context example:

They belong to the same political party

Hypernyms (to "belong" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Sense 6

Meaning:

Be a part or adjunct

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

belong; belong to

Context example:

These pages don't belong

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "belong"):

inhere (be inherent in something)

appertain; pertain (be a part or attribute of)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

 Context examples 

It was, however, surrounded by a high wall, and no one dared to go into it because it belonged to an enchantress, who had great power and was dreaded by all the world.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

Then a head showed itself over the rock and the same voice said, "This hill belongs to us, and we don't allow anyone to cross it."

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

I was very desirous to see the chief temple, and particularly the tower belonging to it, which is reckoned the highest in the kingdom.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

Small wonder the world belonged to the strong.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

The galaxy is the most luminous galaxy found to date and belongs to a new class of objects recently discovered by WISE — extremely luminous infrared galaxies, or ELIRGs.

(The Most Luminous Galaxy in Universe, NASA)

Similarly, compared to single-born children, twins were more likely to belong to the highest screen time group.

(High amounts of screen time begin as early as infancy, National Institutes of Health)

Vintana belongs to a group of early mammals called gondwanatherians, which had been known only from a few teeth and jaw fragments.

(Scientists discover fossil of bizarre groundhog-like mammal on Madagascar, NSF)

They found that the target neurons belong to two broad categories, both of which were insensitive to gentle stimulation.

(Study uncovers specialized mouse neurons that play a unique role in pain, National Institutes of Health)

The studies, released this week, show that the viruses belong to the so-called South American 1E lineage, which, according to the institute, has been predominant in Brazil since 2008.

(Brazil scientists find mutations in yellow fever virus, Agência Brasil)

The scientists tested 3 drugs that belong to a new class called JAK inhibitors (tofacitinib, ruxolitinib, and baricitinib).

(Gene linked to rare inflammatory disease in children, NIH)