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.
Rather than piling billions of dollars into the frontier model arms race, Amazon's focus has been on AI solutions that enhance its own, proven, money-making offerings. — Zev Fima, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026 The honor comes on the heels of his latest performance in Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial, the story of OpenAI and a two-decade artificial intelligence arms race. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2026 China and the United States would be well advised to seek similar understandings to limit the AI arms race. — Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026 Ukraine's 92nd Separate Assault Brigade The war has increasingly become a technological arms race, with both Ukraine and Russia relying on drones to reduce human casualties. — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 19 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 27 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on arms race

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about arms race

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