war chest

noun

: a fund accumulated to finance a war

broadly : a fund earmarked for a specific purpose, action, or campaign

Examples of war chest in a Sentence

The candidate held fund-raising dinners to build up his war chest.

Recent Examples on the Web

Lastly, Pritzker can self-fund his campaign and raise a war chest for other Democrats. — Patrick McNamara, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026

The ruling was advantageous for Republicans, who have amassed a significant war chest this cycle, and could helped candidates offset individual fundraising deficits. — Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 3 Sep. 2026

Foreign ministers meeting in Ireland weigh fresh sanctions, visa limits and consulate closures, seeking ways to hit Russia’s war chest harder without risking direct military confrontation. — Lorne Cook, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026

The war chest is unusually large this deep into the signing period because the Yankees had several agreements, made under previous international scouting director Donny Rowland, fall through following his dismissal. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1732, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for war chest

• abreast
• accessed
• addressed
• appressed
• armrest
• arrest
• assessed
• attest
• backrest
• behest
• bequest
• caressed