arms race

American  

noun

1. competition between countries to achieve superiority in quantity and quality of military arms.

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arms race British  

noun

1. the continuing competitive attempt by two or more nations each to have available to it more and more powerful weapons than the other(s)

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Etymology

Origin of arms race

First recorded in 1935–40

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

arms race

Perhaps most importantly, “Rubber Soul” marked an escalation in the musical arms race between the Beatles and Brian Wilson that would culminate in “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

"There is a bit of a technology arms race happening: the detectors versus the evaders," misinformation researcher Timothy Caulfield told AFP.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

One can reasonably hold that the risks of a largely unregulated AI arms race are significant and worthy of governmental intervention.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Beale explains there is now a new arms race going on in space.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

I took part, lest I get left behind in the arms race.

From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge

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