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Glite Dictionary
hot on someone's heels

hot on someone's heels

6.1
Close behind someone and almost catching them
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : a la caza de
  • I'd say that they're hot on our heels, but this footage is already six months old.

Examples

  • She felt her competitors hot on her heels as she raced towards the finish line.

  • The police were hot on the suspect's heels after he fled the scene of the crime.

  • Gurney is still in the lead with Ken Miles hot on his heels.

    Ford v Ferrari (2019)

  • He is hot on Gagné's heels!

    Turbo (2013)

  • "Tito Ortiz..." Tito whooped with joy and raced down the aisle, hot on Walter's heels.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • With each passing second, the dog was hot on the heels of the ball he was chasing.

Synonyms

to follow
vshot on someone's heels
∞ 1.0

To move behind someone or go along the same path

means staying with almost no gap rather than simply going behind
chase
vshot on someone's heels
232 1.0

A pursuit to catch someone or something

focuses on continuous very close following rather than a single act
to tail
vshot on someone's heels
52 5.9

To follow someone closely and secretly to watch them

is about being visibly very near rather than secret watching
to chase after
vshot on someone's heels
38 2.4

To try to reach or get something you want

is about staying extremely near rather than hurrying to overtake
on my tail
vshot on someone's heels
17 7.9

To follow someone closely and keep bothering them

is about a tiny gap between two people rather than long persistent tracking
in hot pursuit
vshot on someone's heels
5 5.3

Chasing someone quickly right after they run away

emphasizes very small physical distance rather than strong urgency to catch
to heel
vshot on someone's heels
2 6.9

To stay very close behind someone, like a trained dog

is about urgent close pursuit rather than trained obedient following
pursuing
vshot on someone's heels
3.2

Following someone to try to catch them

focuses on a very small gap rather than general intent to catch

How Close

hot on someone's heels
  • Informal
6.1
trailing
3.7
behind
314 1.0

Surface Forms

hot on someone's heels positive

Morphology

hot + on + someone's + heel

The phrase's meaning ('following very closely') can be directly inferred from the constituents: 'on someone's heels' literally means close behind someone, and 'hot' functions as an intensifier meaning very near (as in the 'hot/cold' search metaphor). This compositional pattern is common and readily understandable to learners who know the component words and the metaphorical use of 'hot'.

Etymology

Hot on someone's heels may come from the picture of a chaser so close that their hot breath or shoes are almost on the other person's heels. That's why it means 'following very closely'.