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.
These days this pursuit of perfection takes the form of an arms race toward maximum hyperreal clarity, a mode of vision beyond the capabilities of the naked eye. Dennis Lim, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026 The evolutionary arms race A highly intelligent, 19-meter-long cephalopod actively hunting and crushing prey suggests that the Cretaceous evolutionary arms race wasn’t entirely dominated by vertebrates. Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 24 Apr. 2026 Meanwhile, tech giants are engaged in an arms race to build out their AI capabilities, including building hundreds of data centers or buying AI startups. Alain Sherter, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026 Programs are spending tens of millions annually on rosters, creating an escalating arms race across conferences. Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Arms race.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/arms%20race. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on arms race

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster