belong

Formsbelongs, belonging, belonged

1. 1
   verbintransitivewith to

   To be a part of something, or to be the property of a particular person.

   The land belongs to the family that has farmed it for years.

   All the paintings in this hall belong to the city museum.

   Note

   Ownership and being part of something share one construction: belong to, followed by the owner or the whole, as in that house belongs to me. The past perfect handles former ownership. In F. E. Penny's Pulling the Strings, a turban and staff "had belonged to a toddy drawer." The American novelist Winston Churchill's The Celebrity (1897) stretches the verb to looks, describing a face that "might have belonged to Dagon."

2. 2
   verbintransitivewith to

   To be a member or part of a particular group.

   He belongs to a union that represents dockworkers.

   Workers who belong to the guild receive training and support.

   Similargo (entry)

3. 3
   verbintransitive

   To be accepted by others as a rightful and natural part of a group.

   He never felt he belonged among the older players.

   Children need to feel that they belong somewhere.

   Similargo (entry)

   Note

   Said of people, it usually stands without "to": you belong here, he never belonged. The bare verb, or a place word after it, carries the meaning. It describes acceptance and fitting in, not holding a membership card. Add "to" and the sense moves toward formal membership of a group. "You don't belong here — get out" is about welcome, not paperwork.

4. 4
   verbintransitive

   To be in the place where something is properly meant to be.

   Personal opinions don't belong in a straight news report.

   Every tool belongs in its own labeled drawer.

   Similargo (entry)

   Note

   The history explains this root sense. Middle English belongen was built on longen, "to be fitting," which came from Old English langian, "to pertain to, suit." So to belong somewhere first meant to suit it. In everyday speech, go often does the same work (where does this book go?). The verb takes a place phrase: it belongs on the top shelf, or in a drawer.

5. 5
   verbintransitivewith to

   To be the spouse or romantic partner of a particular person.

   In the old ballad, the knight swears to belong to no other.

   She belongs to him, the marriage vows declared.

6. 6
   verbintransitive

   In mathematics, to be an element of a set.

   Every prime number belongs to the set of natural numbers.

   All multiples of four belong to the set of even numbers.

   Note

   Set theorists read the symbol ∈ aloud with this verb: x ∈ A is spoken as "x belongs to A," which is why the phrase always keeps its "to." It belongs to the language of proofs, as in suppose x belongs to ℝ. Unlike everyday group membership, it allows no question of degree or feeling. An element either belongs to a set or it does not.

7. 7
   preposition

   Used before a noun to show possession or association, meaning 'of' or 'belonging to.'

   The story belong this place, passed down for generations.

   That canoe belong my uncle, not yours.

   Note

   This is a separate word, related to Tok Pisin bilong, Bislama blong and Australian Kriol blanga. In Australian Aboriginal English it links a thing to its owner or its place. Its spellings follow speech: b'longa, b'longta, belonga, blung. A following "to" is optional, as in lubra b'longa him beside father blung to this one. The Kolig title Playing Alonga Mud shows the same -a ending.

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