on the heels of

Idioms

Also, hard on the heels of. Directly behind, immediately following, as in Mom's birthday comes on the heels of Mother's Day, or Hard on the heels of the flood there was a tornado. The hard in the variant acts as an intensifier, giving it the sense of “close on the heels of”. [Early 1800s] Also see at one's heels.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Right on the heels of two new directors with two fresh new films, comes a five-installment franchise: Toy Story 5.

From Slate • Jul. 3, 2026

The defeat comes on the heels of unanimous support, including a 60-0 vote in favor on the Assembly Floor on May 7.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2026

Rather, the surge came on the heels of company’s investor day, where perhaps the most surprising announcement was Moderna’s first in vivo CAR-T program.

From Barron's • Jun. 26, 2026

If the deal proceeds as planned, SpaceX will be selling debt on the heels of a rough day for shares of SpaceX and other AI giants with equally ambitious borrowing plans.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026

He stood there, balancing on the heels of his feet, like a matador.

From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023