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

An X-ray taken after Tuesday’s game showed no fractures or breaks, and Kotsay said at the time the injury wouldn’t require stitches. — Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 25 June 2026

Formotion was also a part of Balenciaga’s oversized Adidas sneaker collaboration from last year and appears in the Spiritain 2000, a new model that nonetheless takes after the era for which its named. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 24 June 2026

Jazmin also takes after her grandmother for her dedication to philanthropy. — Staff Author, InStyle, 23 June 2026

The film, released as an accompaniment to the band’s 2017 album, Spirit, is a curious reminder of the path music takes after it’s released into the world. — Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 22 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1627, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for take after

• hereinafter
• thereinafter
• drafter
• laughter
• rafter
• hereafter
• thereafter