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
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Japan still lacks a credible answer to China’s electric‑vehicle juggernaut, its advances in artificial intelligence, or the global semiconductor arms race. William Pesek, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 The result is an endless technological arms race humanity seems destined to lose. Sam MacDonald, Scientific American, 29 June 2026 There are still plenty of questions about Alphabet’s strategy in the AI arms race. Paulina Likos, CNBC, 27 June 2026 While the current situation is dire, a study in Nature this week reports a compelling discovery that not only points to a potentially new antibiotic regimen, but also an entirely new strategy to once again get ahead in the microbial arms race. Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 26 June 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

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Cite this Entry

“Arms race.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arms%20race. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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