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).

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

close to home

Preston Harp found an outlet skateboarding and surfing with friends, and Harp opted to stay close to home, he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

"It's sad, it's really sad. It's a bit close to home."

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

Carol Wallace, from Coleraine, said her late husband had been in Causeway Hospital several times and she had found it easy to visit him because the hospital was close to home.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

While she could likely earn an athletic scholarship at a midmajor or low-major Division I program, the local Division I programs are competitive, and she would prefer to stay close to home.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

He hoped they were that close to home.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz