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 The new suit is the first action San Diego County has taken after the Board of Supervisors agreed in 2022 to sue gun makers. Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2024 Security experts say there is a series of other steps to take after getting notified of a data breach to prevent hackers and scammers from using the information for fraudulent activity. Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024 Jack has taken after his comedian father, even opening up for his shows on occasion as a teenager. Alexandra Hurtado, Peoplemag, 2 May 2024 In take after take, Mr. Bhansali drove a point home: Every move, every gesture, had to be done so that the eyes, the glare, remained the focus. Mujib Mashal Atul Loke, New York Times, 1 May 2024 The Chicago Police Department posted a series of surveillance videos of an unidentified man wanted in the fatal shooting early Sunday, in which 30-year-old Huesca's gun and car were taken after he was gunned down while on his way home after work. Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 24 Apr. 2024 Here’s an 11-person list of Carolina Panthers taken after the first round over the years: Steve Smith, Muhsin Muhammad, Ryan Kalil, Kris Jenkins, Josh Norman, Curtis Samuel, Kawann Short, Deshaun Foster, Mike Rucker, Mike Minter and James Bradberry. Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 22 Apr. 2024 Photo ops based on the getaway car Kelce and Swift took after the Chiefs’ 41-10 victory over the Chicago Bears last season will be in the building. Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2024 Email newsletter | Facebook page Our rating: Partly false The photo of the workers surveying road damage was taken after the April 3 earthquake in Taiwan, but the photo of the tilted building was not. Andre Byik, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024

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 10 May. 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!