belong

Word family

be·long /bɪˈlɒŋ $ bɪˈlɒːŋ/ S2 W2 verb [intransitiveI]

1 [always + adverbadv/prepositionprep]PLACE if something belongs somewhere, that is the right place or situation for it 应在〔某处〕；适合〔某种情形〕

Put the chair back where it belongs.

把椅子放回原处。

belong in

an attitude that doesn’t belong in modern society

不适合现代社会的处世态度

2 DIFFERENTif you feel you belong in a place or situation, you feel happy and comfortable in it, because you have the same interests and ideas as other people 〔在某个地方或某种情形中〕能适应；感到自在

I worked there for five years but never really felt I belonged.

我在那里工作了五年，但是从来没有真正觉得自己属于那里。

3 belong to somebody/something phrasal verbphr v

a) if something belongs to someone, they own it 属于〔某人〕

The book belongs to Dan.

这本书是丹的。

Who does this scarf belong to?

这是谁的围巾？

b) to be a member of a group or organization 是…的成员，属于〔某团体或组织〕

He belongs to the golf club.

他是高尔夫球俱乐部的成员。

c) to be related to something or form part of it 与〔某事物〕有关；是…的一部分

cars that belong to a different era

属于另一个时代的汽车

d) to be related to or produced by a particular person 与〔某人〕有关，出自〔某人〕

She recognized the voice as belonging to the man who had attacked her.

她听出那就是袭击她的那个人的声音。

e) if a competition or period of time belongs to someone, they are the most important or successful person in it 属于〔指某人是一场比赛或一段时间中最重要或最成功的人〕

All the acts were good, but the evening belonged to a dance group from Moscow.

所有的表演都很精彩，但是当晚最受欢迎的是一个来自莫斯科的舞蹈团。

—belonging noun [uncountableU]

It’s important to have a sense of belonging (=a feeling that you are happy and comfortable somewhere).

有归属感是很重要的。

n GRAMMAR: Using the progressive

Belong is not used in the progressive. You say:

My friend belongs to the choir.

✗Don’t say: My friend is belonging to the choir.

Examples from the Corpus

belong• Can you put that back where it belongs?• Could it be that some of us might like it better if they stayed where they belong?• Toussaint had no toys and never asked to play with those belonging to others.• As if we were all adopted, no one belonged anywhere.• I felt I belonged there - I was important there.• I belonged to the local farmers' club and had taken up curling.• Over 8,000 people regularly enjoy the benefits of Medau classes - but - only 25% of them belong to the Medau Society.• Clearly the appeal of the Virgo archetype belonged to the spirit of the age.• The mosque and the Koran belong to women as much as do the heavenly bodies.

belong in• I taught in high schools, but I really belonged in the elementary schools.• The shopping center doesn't belong in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

sense of belonging• Membership of a group may provide an individual with a sense of belonging.• These systems gave people an identity a place, and a sense of belonging.• In particular, it is not clear how a sense of well-being and a sense of belonging are connected.• These structures provide not just a sense of belonging but a social life that would be the envy of many Westerners.• Then the needs for affection and a sense of belonging can be fulfilled.• This sense of belonging is even stronger in Appenzell itself.• It became a meditation on that sense of belonging, of identity, of alienation and how important all of that is.• All that is necessarily involved is a sense of belonging that excludes indifference to the group as well as alienation from it.

Origin belong

(1300-1400) long “to be suitable” ((12-19 centuries)), from Old English gelang “dependent on”

be·long verb →n GRAMMAR1

LDOCE Online

Chinese

Syllable

Corpus