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
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Architects had to base their designs on photographs of the apartments found in a 1928 copy of Country Life, government pictures taken after the Blitz, and family photos from Countess Granville’s time there. Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 5 Feb. 2026 Berry took after both his biological father and stepfather and became a musician, per his website. Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 3 Feb. 2026 In the family, she was thought to take after their brilliant, charismatic father. Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2026 That extraordinary measure was taken after air traffic controllers were working without pay for over a month, leading to strain on the air traffic system. Zach Wichter, USA Today, 31 Jan. 2026 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 11 Feb. 2026.

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