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.
Luis Elizondo, a former military intelligence official, described a decades-long international arms race to obtain and reverse-engineer the strange vehicles so governments can bolster their own technology. Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025 Now is the time to curb the outside growing influence of DCTA and Denver Families Action, stop the election arms race and return our school board races to the voters. Van Schoales, Denver Post, 9 Sep. 2025 Then, as now, an American leader and a Russian one met to resolve a major foreign policy challenge—in 1986, ending an arms race, and last month, ending the war in Ukraine. Celeste A. Wallander, Foreign Affairs, 9 Sep. 2025 Unsurprisingly, the arms race has escalated, and other states are now looking to join in. Matt Germer, Oc Register, 7 Sep. 2025 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.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arms%20race. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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