Other forms: belonging, belonged, belongs
To belong is to be somebody's property, or to have your right place somewhere. This belongs to me. Put it back where it belongs. She never felt she belonged.
The three patterns are worth separating. Belong to somebody means it is theirs. Belong to a group means you are a member. And belong with no preposition, or with in or on, means being in the right place: that belongs in the cupboard. The third sense also carries the emotional meaning — a sense of belonging — which has become an important term in writing about schools, workplaces and communities. Note that belong is a state verb and is not used in the continuous.
1verbverbTo be owned by somebody.
“The bike belongs to my brother.”
2verbmemberTo be a member of a group.
“She belongs to three different clubs.”
3verbbelongTo be in the right or usual place.
“Those files belong in the other drawer.”
4verbfeelTo feel accepted somewhere.
“It took a year before he felt he belonged.”
Too few real examples of this word to estimate which sense is commonest.
belong is a relation of ownership or place.
To belong is to be fitting. Middle English longen meant to suit or to pertain to, from Old English langian, and the be simply strengthens it. Ownership is a later reading of this suits you.
Middle English
belongen
English, today
belong
Built from
From Middle English belongen, from und + bi-. From Middle English belongen, bilongen, from Middle English be- + longen (“to be fitting, be suitable”), from Old English langian (“to pertain to, suit”), equivalent to be- + long. Compare stq beloangje (“to attain, reach, meet”), Dutch belangen (“to concern”), German belangen (“to sue, concern”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA