meaning - "You belong to me" or "You belong with me"



What's the difference between the titular expressions? if any, at all.


Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries could not help!!



Answer



The phrase "you belong to me" is an expression in English (at least American English) most often used in an address to a romantic partner. The phrase belong to, in this case, clearly conveys possessiveness



(belong to) Be the property of: the vehicle did not belong to him



Oxford Dictionaries Online


There is a bit of a chattel tone to the overall phrase, and may stem from a period when a man was seen as owning his wife and children (but not necessarily vice-versa). Such usage dates back to at least the early 19th century. In The Ariel: A Literary Gazette, in 1827 we find



You are my betrothed wife, and as such, you belong to me alone!



However, in current marriage ceremonies in the US, the phrase Do you take this [man/woman] ...? is used bilaterally.


Another meaning of the phrase belong to is a bit less possessive, but still obligatory



(followed by to) to be bound to (a person, place, or club) by ties of affection, dependence, allegiance, or membership



Collins


The term belong with (or belong in or at) conveys aptness rather than ownership



to be in a proper situation



Merriam-Webster


Both you belong to me and you belong with me convey that the speaker and the listener should be in a romantic relationship. However, the former suggests that the relationship clearly exists, and he or she intends to maintain (or enforce) it. The latter suggest that it should be the case, and might be more likely heard as an entreaty rather than a statement of fact.


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