charity begins at home

Meaning

1. 1phraseidiom

   A saying meaning that you should look after your own family and community first before you spend time or money helping strangers far away.

   Grammar: A whole sentence-like saying, usually quoted on its own: Well, charity begins at home.

   I'd love to donate overseas, but charity begins at home, and our local food bank needs help first.

   He said charity begins at home and refused to fund the foreign project until the town school was repaired.

   Some people argue that charity begins at home, while others think need matters more than distance.

Common combinations

as the saying goes, charity begins at home

As the saying goes, charity begins at home, so we paid our neighbor's bill first.

believe that charity begins at home

My aunt believes that charity begins at home and gives mostly to local groups.

charity begins at home, but

Charity begins at home, but it should not end there.

remind someone that charity begins at home

She reminded the committee that charity begins at home.

Synonyms and how they differ

look after your own first

This plain version carries the same advice but lacks the proverb's slightly traditional, moralizing tone.

put your own house in order

This stresses fixing your own problems before criticizing others, not giving money or help.

Word family

charity noun

help given to people in need, or an organization that provides it

charitable adjective

kind and generous toward people in need

charitably adverb

in a kind or generous way

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “charity begins at home”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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