subtend /sʌbˈtɛnd/ verb4 •To use an angle to delimit (mark off, enclose) part of a straight or curved line, for example an arc or the opposite side of a triangle.A 43° angle subtends an arc of about 0.75 meters on a circle with a radius of 1 meter. •To extend or stretch opposite something; to be part of a straight or curved line that is opposite to and delimits an angle.A hypotenuse subtends the right angle of a right triangle.An arc measuring about 0.75 meters on a circle with a radius of 1 meter subtends an angle of about 43°. •To form the central angle of a circle underneath an arc.The points A and B on the circumference form the arc AB, which subtends the central angle θ. •To stand beneath or close to, as a bract at the base of a flower. formssubtended · subtending · subtendeth · subtends