Colloquial Variant guide

belonging

noun · verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /bɪˈlɒŋɪŋ/
  • General-American: /bɪˈlɔŋɪŋ/
  • cot-caught-merger: /bɪˈlɑŋɪŋ/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɒŋɪŋ
  • CMU ARPABET: B IH0 L AO1 NG IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The feeling that one belongs.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • I have a feeling of belonging in London.
  • A need for belonging seems fundamental to humans.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Something physical that is owned.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, in-plural

Examples

  • Make sure you take all your belongings when you leave.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: possession, thing

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Family; relations; household.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: colloquial, countable, dated, plural, plural-only, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

present participle and gerund of belong

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

happiness felt in a secure relationship

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • with his classmates he felt a sense of belonging

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: happiness

Narrower terms: comfortableness, closeness, intimacy

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h1ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h1épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h1epider. Proto-Indo-European *h1pi Proto-Germanic *bider. Proto-Germanic *bi- Proto-West Germanic *bi- Old English be- Middle English be- Proto-Germanic *langōną Proto-West Germanic *langōn Old English langian Middle English longen Middle English belongen English belong Proto-Germanic *-ungō Old English -ung Middle English -ynge English -ing English belonging From belong + -ing.

From Middle English belonginge, belanging, belangand, equivalent to belong + -ing.

Across languages

Translations

39 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: mənsubiyyət — action of the verb belong
  • Bulgarian: принадлежност (prinadležnost) — action of the verb belong
  • French: appartenance — action of the verb belong
  • German: Zugehörigkeit — action of the verb belong
  • Norwegian Bokmål: tilhørighet — action of the verb belong
  • Portuguese: pertencimento — action of the verb belong
  • Russian: принадле́жность (prinadléžnostʹ) — action of the verb belong
  • Spanish: pertenencia — action of the verb belong
  • Swedish: tillhörighet — action of the verb belong
  • Bulgarian: вещ (vešt) — something physical that is owned
  • Ngazidja Comorian: hindru — something physical that is owned
  • French: affaire — something physical that is owned
  • French: possession — something physical that is owned
  • French: bien — something physical that is owned
  • Galician: pertenza — something physical that is owned
  • Georgian: საკუთრება (saḳutreba) — something physical that is owned
  • Georgian: კუთვნილი ნივთები (ḳutvnili nivtebi) — something physical that is owned
  • German: Eigentum — something physical that is owned
  • German: Habseligkeit — something physical that is owned
  • German: Besitz — something physical that is owned
  • German: Habe — something physical that is owned
  • German: Gut — something physical that is owned
  • German: Hab und Gut — something physical that is owned
  • German: Sache — something physical that is owned
  • Irish: gustal — something physical that is owned
  • Portuguese: pertence — something physical that is owned
  • Russian: со́бственность (sóbstvennostʹ) — something physical that is owned
  • Spanish: pertenencias — something physical that is owned
  • Spanish: cachachá — something physical that is owned
  • Spanish: chivas — something physical that is owned
  • Spanish: macundales — something physical that is owned
  • Spanish: maritates — something physical that is owned
  • Spanish: efectos personales — something physical that is owned
  • Spanish: enseres — something physical that is owned
  • Spanish: artículos personales — something physical that is owned
  • Spanish: bártulos — something physical that is owned
  • Swedish: tillhörighet — something physical that is owned
  • Swedish: ägodel — something physical that is owned
  • Tocharian B: waipecce — something physical that is owned