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belong to

A2 neutral inseparable transitive
In simple words

When something is yours, or when you are a member of a group

Meanings

1 A2 neutral

To be someone's possession; to be owned by someone

"Excuse me, does this umbrella belong to you? Someone left it by the door."

Grammar: inseparable
2 A2 neutral

To be a member of a group, organization, or club

"She belongs to three different professional associations in her field."

Grammar: inseparable
3 B1 idiomatic neutral

To feel that you are in the right place or accepted within a group; to feel a sense of connection

"After moving to a new city, it took time before he felt like he truly belonged to the community."

"You belong to me and I belong to you."

— John Legend, 'All of Me' (2013)
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes

IMPORTANT: 'Belong to' is a stative verb and is NOT used in continuous tenses — say 'This belongs to me', not 'This is belonging to me'. Very common at A2 level and above.

Commonly used with

club group team organization family class generation

Forms

Base
belong to
I/you/we/they
3rd person
belongs to
he/she/it
Past simple
belonged to
yesterday
Past participle
belonged to
have + pp
-ing form
belonging to
continuous

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Synonyms

be owned by be the property of be a member of be part of be affiliated with

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