arms race

noun

: a race between hostile nations to accumulate or develop weapons
broadly : an ever escalating race or competition

Examples of arms race in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Kyiv is locked in a technological and production arms race to ensure that its drones are both sophisticated enough and plentiful enough to overcome Russian jamming and other countermeasures. Jon Finer, Foreign Affairs, 7 July 2025 Call it the new celebrity arms race—not for Birkins or Labubus, but for architectural trophies signed by the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, and John Lautner. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 3 July 2025 But even small first steps – things like more frequent dialogue, crisis communications procedures, and greater transparency about nuclear arsenals and nuclear plans – would be a welcome alternative to a runaway nuclear arms race that could end with devastating consequences, by accident or design. William Hartung, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025 Sitting alongside gray-haired Pentagon top brass, the 26-year-old Wang held forth on the U.S.-China AI arms race and other weighty topics. Jason Ma, Fortune, 22 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for arms race

Word History

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of arms race was in 1921

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Cite this Entry

“Arms race.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arms%20race. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.

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