Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

on the heels of

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.06 in modern English

Syllables: on the heel-s of
IPA

21

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

prep

In close pursuit of; close behind.

prep

Closely following; in succession immediately after.

Example Sentences

"A quarrelsome band of footsore sulky niggers trod on the heels of the donkey."
"On the heels of the little lop-sided man appeared an overgrown dolt of a fat youth, followed by another youth."
"Hard on the heels of the last Ostend boat train comes the first Calais train to connect with the sailing of the Invicta from Berth 2 directly opposite the platform end."
"[T]he men got out quickly, the first ones running on the heels of those who had gotten out of the Mercedes."
"Hard on the heels of of punctuality and reliability comes capacity. That's either trains frequent enough to meet demand, or long enough."
"One woe doth tread upon another's heel."

Inflected Forms

upon the heels of (alternative)

Phrases

hot on someone's heels

Questions

What does on the heels of mean?: In close pursuit of; close behind.

How to pronounce on the heels of

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “on the heels of”.
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