under the heel of (someone)
idiom
: completely controlled by (another person, group, etc.)
They are under the heel of a tyrant.
Examples of under the heel of (someone) in a Sentence
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Crush of mint under the heel of a little girl
enjoying her small but definite powers.
—
Elisa Gonzalez, Harper's Magazine, 20 Sep. 2023
This willful ignorance stems from our long-standing refusal to see the violent overthrow of Reconstruction governments, the systematic murdering of Black voters, and the century-long terror that kept an entire people under the heel of white tyranny as America’s own history of white dictatorship.
—Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, The New Republic, 23 Oct. 2020
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Elisa Gonzalez, Harper's Magazine, 20 Sep. 2023
This willful ignorance stems from our long-standing refusal to see the violent overthrow of Reconstruction governments, the systematic murdering of Black voters, and the century-long terror that kept an entire people under the heel of white tyranny as America’s own history of white dictatorship.
—Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, The New Republic, 23 Oct. 2020
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Cite this Entry
“Under the heel of (someone).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/under%20the%20heel%20of%20%28someone%29. Accessed 24 Dec. 2024.
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