close to home

Idioms  

1. Also, where one lives. Affecting one intimately and personally, as in That description of orphans really was too close to home, or The teacher's criticisms of her work got her where she lives. The noun home here means “the heart of something,” a usage dating from the late 1800s; the variant was first recorded in 1860. Both of these colloquialisms are sometimes preceded by hit, that is, something is said to, as in That remark about their marriage hit close to home. Also see too close for comfort (to home).

---

Example Sentences

For Ramos, a lab technician trainee in Connecticut, the cinematic parallels hit close to home.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 28, 2026

Helou said Blumenfield’s motion completes the loop by keeping food waste close to home, creating more local composting and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transporting waste outside of the city.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2026

I call the inclination to stay close to home “amusement park syndrome,” because people will drive long distances to go on roller-coasters but refuse to drive to another city to see a superior physician.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 3, 2026

"In the case of the SFZ, we don't fully understand the rupture dynamics at depth, but they're rupturing more frequently and pretty close to home."

From Science Daily • May 19, 2026

Just another one of Leo’s stupid jokes, but the comment hit a little too close to home.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan