hit too close to home

verb

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see hit, too, close, to, home.

“I just barely managed to keep my job during the layoff – it really hit too close to home.”

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Meanings

verbhit too close to home (third-person singular simple present hits too close to home, present participle hitting too close to home, simple past and past participle hit too close to home)

present singular third person hits too close to home · participle present hitting too close to home

  1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see hit, too, close, to, home.
  2. idiomaticTo occur too close for comfort; to happen dangerously or uncomfortably near.

    I just barely managed to keep my job during the layoff – it really hit too close to home.

  3. idiomaticTo be relatable in a negative way; to cause negative emotions by being similar or reminding; to be uncomfortably alike one's personal negative experiences.

    As a veteran, the war film I watched yesterday hit too close to home, making me remember many awful things.

Cite this entry
APA

hit too close to home. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hit%20too%20close%20to%20home

MLA

“hit too close to home.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hit%20too%20close%20to%20home. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hit too close to home,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hit%20too%20close%20to%20home.

Source: hit too close to home on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.