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

“It was a little bit too close to home for me,” said George, who serves in the Air Force Reserve.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

The wildfires currently ravaging Europe feel close to home for Professor Marta Yebra, despite being on the other side of the world.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in Santa Clarita has issued a warning on Facebook that the latest nationwide TikTok social media challenge has begun to hit close to home.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

The complication is that one child was given a property close to home, while another child was given a cabin several states away.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026

That one cut close to home, and Owen reared back like he’d been slapped.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz