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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
He was named to be the second quarterback taken after Cam Ward, but that has not been the case. Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Apr. 2025 On March 4, the Italian football federation announced that five Bologna players had tested positive for amphetamines in a drug test taken after their 4-1 victory against Torino in the previous month. Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025 Armstrong, however, remains an outlier in that there weren’t really any serviceable corners taken after him. C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2025 In other photos, Luna can be seen wearing a chef’s jacket, taking after her mother. Rachel Flynn, People.com, 14 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for take after

Word History

First Known Use

1627, in the meaning defined above

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

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Cite this Entry

“Take after.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20after. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

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