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

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

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

Author of “Blues for an Alabama Sky,” a 1995 abortion drama still ahead of its time, Cleage is telling a backstage story that’s clearly close to home.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026

The Middle East crisis brought spiking inflation and the risk of spiralling conflict close to home for Pakistan.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

Jobs can be found in the suburbs—mostly service sector jobs—but employment for unskilled men with criminal convictions, while difficult to find anywhere, is especially hard to find close to home.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander