Meaning & use
Subtend
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To be opposite to and delimit (an angle, arc, or side) in geometry.
See it in a sentence
A diameter subtends a right angle at any point on the circumference of a circle.
The telescope measured the tiny angle that the distant star subtends from Earth.
A note on using this word
Subtend is most often used in geometry and astronomy to describe how a line or object 'stretches under' and defines an angle.
Words with a similar meaning
spanextend opposite to
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