on the heels of

Idioms  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

That came on the heels of a relatively strong holiday season for retailers in general, with many recording revenue and comparable sales increases in their fiscal fourth quarters.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

News station KNWA-TV reported that Tontitown police said this separate investigation was “launched on the heels of the alleged incident in Florida.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

FedEx FDX -0.86%decrease; red down pointing triangle is teaming up with last-mile delivery provider OneRail to offer same-day delivery service, on the heels of Amazon’s recent launch of speedier delivery options.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

This comes on the heels of an FCC warning on how the media reports coverage of the conflict.

From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026

Closely on the heels of this failure was another talented musician who played fiddle, excellent as the two before him.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss