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

See Examples For:

arms race

If it does make a bomb, a regional arms race could ensue.

From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026

Other Big Ten schools signed with Nike signed during a stretch between 2015 and 2016 that became an apparel arms race around college football.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

A growing sense of fatigue with the artificial intelligence trade and the related arms race is prompting one strategist to advise that investors stick with the so-called picks and shovels rather than the spenders.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026

Airlines are in an amenities arms race to stand apart and fly passengers in comfort and style.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

But their pleas went unheeded; the prospect of a national strategic advantage galvanized both the U.S.S.R. and the United States, and the nuclear arms race began.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan