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

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

Romania’s president said he also supported the sentiment, but asked, wouldn’t this spark an arms race on the continent?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Both OpenAI and Anthropic have filed confidential IPO documents with US regulators and are targeting public listings at valuations approaching $1 trillion, raising the commercial stakes of the AI arms race between them.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

If America wanted to understand the USSR's latest ploy in the arms race, they needed someone on the ground, in the Soviet Union itself.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau