charity starts at home

Meanings

1. 1phraseidiom

   A saying that means you should look after your own family and those close to you before helping strangers.

   Grammar: A complete saying that can stand alone or follow a statement: charity starts at home.

   Patterns

   • Charity starts at home

   I'd like to give to the appeal, but charity starts at home and we have bills to pay.

   He told her charity starts at home, so he helped his brother first.

   My grandmother always said charity starts at home.

2. 2phraseidiom

   A saying used to suggest that kindness and good habits begin in the household or community before spreading outward.

   Grammar: Used to make a point about where good behavior is learned.

   Patterns

   • Charity starts at home

   Teach the children to share first; charity starts at home.

   Charity starts at home, so be kind to the people you live with.

   The pastor reminded us that charity starts at home.

Common combinations

charity starts at home, but

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

remember that charity starts at home

Remember that charity starts at home when planning your budget.

as the saying goes, charity starts at home

As the saying goes, charity starts at home.

charity begins at home

Some people say charity begins at home instead.

charity should not end at home

Charity starts at home, but it should not end at home.

Synonyms and how they differ

family first

Family first is a modern, shorter motto that focuses only on putting relatives before others.

look after your own

Look after your own is a plain instruction, and it sounds less like a traditional proverb.

charity begins at home

This is a common variant with the same meaning, and either form is acceptable.

Opposites

Word family

charity noun

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

charitable adjective

generous or related to giving

charitably adverb

in a kind or generous way

Commonly confused: charity starts at home or charity begins at home?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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