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

Example Sentences

Despite recent headlines, the AI industry’s heavyweights remain locked in a high-velocity arms race with no end in sight.

From MarketWatch

The narrative suggested an arms race was under way, and capital flowed freely into the Magnificent Seven poster stocks with the assumption that profits would await those with the financial power to stay ahead.

From MarketWatch

If the AI arms race reaches orbit, any company that can reliably put things in space, such as Rocket Lab, will benefit.

From Barron's

Hyperscalers are spending hundreds of billions of dollars annually to gain an advantage in the AI arms race External link.

From Barron's

He won’t talk about the growing concerns of a renewed arms race, the widening education gap or how many people now must be 40 before they can afford their own home.

From Salon