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

It is a new arms race for a fiercely competitive industry.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

The ginormous, springy footwear helped athletes slash marathon times and spurred a wild arms race to make them even better.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

This makes A.I. detection inherently an arms race, so the performance of any given detector will likely fluctuate over time.

From Slate • Apr. 17, 2026

"It's always shifting and changing," he said, adding there is a "fraud arms race".

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

He had planned to lay out his step-by-step strategy for preventing an arms race, backing each step with clearly reasoned arguments.

From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin