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.

A flood of economic data is in store for China watchers, coming on the heels of data that sent encouraging signals on reflation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Intel’s stock is soaring for the seventh consecutive session, on the heels of the chip company’s latest high-profile partnership.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026

Delta Air Lines jumps on the heels of better-than-expected quarterly earnings and revenue.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 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

Hot on the heels of these philanthropic, documentary-style recordings came those intended to part a paying public with their money.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

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