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

Later that year, Lupe shared their first family selfie on Instagram, which was taken after a trip to the voting polls. —Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025

The right-hander out of Florida was Boston’s next player taken after Tolle and was selected ahead of fifth-round lefty Brandon Clarke, who spent time this past year in Baseball America’s Top 100, but Neely didn’t pitch at all in 2025 due to forearm tightness. —Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 23 Oct. 2025

No further action was taken after that. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2025

But there are more steps to be taken after that. —Hunter Patterson, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1627, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for take after

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