Library / English Dictionary

BELONG

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Be owned by; be in the possession of

Example:

This book belongs to me

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

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 a part or adjunct

Example:

These pages don't belong

Synonyms:

belong; belong to

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

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

Sense 3

Meaning:

Be rightly classified in a class or category

Example:

The whales belong among the mammals

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

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 4

Meaning:

Be suitable or acceptable

Example:

This student somehow doesn't belong

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

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 5

Meaning:

Be in the right place or situation

Example:

Where do these books go?

Synonyms:

belong; go

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

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 6

Meaning:

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

Example:

They belong to the same political party

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

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

Credits

 Context examples: 

This is the main conclusion of a study that examined impacts over the last 30 years in parts of El Cerrado that belong to São Paulo state.

(Fire control harms biodiversity in Brazilian savannah, SciDev.Net)

Currently, there are about 30 birds belonging to the new species.

(Researchers report rapid formation of new bird species in Galápagos islands, Wikinews)

G1.9+0.3 belongs to the Type Ia category, an important class of supernovas exhibiting reliable patterns in their brightness that make them valuable tools for measuring the rate at which the universe is expanding.

(Trigger for Milky Way’s Youngest Supernova Identified, NASA)

When subjects were listening to the sounds but not judging which category they belonged to, the neural activity patterns in the prefrontal cortex region did not distinguish one category from another.

(How does the brain learn categorization for sounds? The same way it does for images, National Science Foundation)

It belongs to a group of dinosaurs known as the scansoriopterygids, which all contain lanky arms, but it's only the second fossil found in the group to contain the styliform bone.

(Second Bat-Like Dinosaur Discovered in China, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Researchers had shown the virus replicates in parent cells, which belong to the fetus, to the central nerve.

(Zika virus found to harm adults’ memory and motor system, Agência Brasil/EBC)

The world record stands at 46.78 seconds and belongs to Kevin Young.

(Norway's Warholm wins gold in 400 m hurdles at World Championships in Doha, Wikinews)

The fish belong to the snailfish (Liparidae) family, with bulbous heads, translucent, ribbon-like bodies and no scales.

(Three New Species of Fish Found at Bottom of Pacific Ocean, VOA)

Many of these exotic worlds belong to a class known as "hot Jupiters."

(Investigating the Mystery of Migrating 'Hot Jupiters', NASA)

It is almost certainly an undescribed species and may not belong to any described genus.

(Deep Discoverer Discovers a Very Deep, Ghostlike Octopod, NOAA)