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

The whole experience underscores a harsh reality in today’s airline arms race for big-spending travelers.

From The Wall Street Journal

We are living through an arms race that is pushing countries to devote ever larger shares of their budgets to armaments.

From The Wall Street Journal

A global semiconductor arms race is under way as major technology companies pour resources into designing AI chips.

From The Wall Street Journal

So far, that impact has been largely based on the many billions that big tech companies, including Meta, are spending in the AI arms race.

From Barron's

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

From BBC