arms race

noun

: a race between hostile nations to accumulate or develop weapons
broadly : an ever escalating race or competition

Examples of arms race in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Lucy’s always been a hard vocalist to classify, intensely emotive but largely separate from the monster-growl arms race. — H.d. Angel, Pitchfork, 8 Oct. 2026 This has created an arms race in major college football that has turned off many fans, despite the benefit to players. — Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026 At least Mark Zuckerberg had the decency to be duplicitous, Altman is just openly consumed by the mania of trying to win the most important technological arms race since the atom bomb. — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 2026 There’s an arms race taking place, as IT teams use AI defense systems to protect against these attacks. — David Bennett, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for arms race

Word History

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of arms race was in 1921

Rhymes for arms race

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Browse Nearby Words

arm spread
arms race
arm stake
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Cite this Entry

“Arms race.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arms%20race. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on arms race

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about arms race

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