take after

verb

took after; taken after; taking after; takes after

transitive verb

: to resemble (someone) in features, build, character, or disposition
a daughter who takes after her mother
"That's Tulliver's son," said the publican to a grocer standing on the adjacent door-step. "Ah!" said the grocer, "I thought I knew his features. He takes after his mother's family."George Eliot
"His father was lazy but his mother hasn't a lazy bone in her body, and Peter takes after her."Lucy Maud Montgomery

Examples of take after in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web According to police, the former QB refused a field sobriety test at the scene and was later taken to a hospital, where a blood sample was taken after authorities got a search warrant. Jacob Lev, CNN, 18 Oct. 2024 Pair one with a neutral base for a pop of color, or take after Oprah by wearing it with a matching monochromatic outfit. Averi Baudler, People.com, 9 Oct. 2024 The 49-year-old actress spoke about the shift in focus her life took after welcoming children during a new interview with CR Fashion Book, published on Friday, Sept. 20. Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 21 Sep. 2024 Will Ferrell and Harper Steele have been doing press for their new doc [about a road trip the former SNL collaborators took after Steele transitioned to a woman]. Lacey Rose, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for take after 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'take after.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1627, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of take after was in 1627

Dictionary Entries Near take after

Cite this Entry

“Take after.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20after. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on take after

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!