to heel

Idioms  

1. Close behind someone, as in The dog started chasing the car but Miriam called him to heel . This expression is used almost solely in reference to dogs. The heel in this idiom, first recorded in 1810, is the person's.

2. Under control or discipline, as in By a series of surprise raids the police brought the gang members to heel . This expression alludes to controlling a dog by training it to follow at one's heels. [Late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

Widely regarded as the pinnacle for any canine and its owner, both have travelled in unprecedented numbers from around the world this year to come to heel on Crufts' famous green carpets.

From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026

There was also deep resentment at France's inability to bring the jihadists to heel, despite the high-tech weaponry at the disposal of its forces then deployed across the Sahel.

From BBC • Dec. 9, 2025

There are no human characters in “Badlands,” only expendable mechanical representatives of a megacorporation bent on bringing the known universe to heel.

From Salon • Nov. 12, 2025

Father Theodore Hesburgh, the president of Notre Dame, was more interested in building an academic institution than a football powerhouse, and was determined to bring the coach to heel.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 8, 2025

She was clad all in black, from head to heel, and wore no gold nor gems, but she was highborn, that was plain to see.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin