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
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.
This summer, Congress provided $45 billion to ICE to pay for it – a war chest three times greater than what the agency previously had for detention, according to the American Immigration Council. Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025 By making substantial tax contributions to Russia's war chest, foreign companies are effectively subsidising the procurement of weapons and the payment of military salaries. Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025 Vlasto and his colleagues will no doubt try to use their massive war chest and political savvy to counter their efforts. Andrew R. Chow, Time, 26 Aug. 2025 The Yash-Narayana combine has unlocked the massive war chest needed to mount one of the most Indian ambitious projects in recent memory. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 25 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for war chest

Word History

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of war chest was in 1871

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Cite this Entry

“War chest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/war%20chest. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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