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."
inseparable
belong to
A2 neutral inseparable transitive
To be the property of someone, or to be a member of a group or organization
In plain English
When something is yours, or when you are a member of a group
What does "belong to" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 A2 neutral
To be a member of a group, organization, or club
"She belongs to three different professional associations in her field."
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)
inseparable
Usage tip
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.
Words that pair with "belong to"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
club group team organization family class generation
How to conjugate "belong to"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
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
Hear "belong to" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "belong to" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "belong to"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
be a member of be affiliated with be owned by be part of be the property of
Keep exploring
Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.