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

The bond market’s five-year forecast jumped again Friday as strong jobs figures came on the heels of $112-a-barrel oil and $4.09-a-gallon gasoline.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

Shares of banking software developer nCino jumped 12% on the heels of b etter-than-expected earnings for the fiscal fourth quarter and solid revenue guidance.

From Barron's • 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

Enraged by the incursion—coming as it did on the heels of what seemed like a warmer relationship with Eisenhower and the United States—Khrushchev ordered his air defenses to try to shoot the plane down.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau