Hail Mary

noun

plural Hail Marys

1

: a Roman Catholic prayer to the Virgin Mary that consists of salutations and a plea for her intercession

2

or less commonly Hail Mary pass : a long forward pass in football thrown into or near the end zone in a last-ditch attempt to score as time runs out

—often used figuratively

The only potential cure is a stem-cell transplant, when you take somebody else's immune system and put it into yours. But right now that's kind of a Hail Mary pass.

—Douglas Cote, quoted in Bicycling

Examples of Hail Mary in a Sentence

He threw up a Hail Mary at the end of the first half.

Recent Examples on the Web

These films include The Running Man, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, How to Train Your Dragon, Project Hail Mary, and Jurassic World Rebirth. —Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Feb. 2025

Daniels’ incredible Hail Mary pass to beat the Chicago Bears as time expired earlier in the season also won the award for Moment of the Year. —Kyle Feldscher, CNN, 6 Feb. 2025

Will one of the strugglers, particularly Leicester City or Ipswich Town, look for a Hail Mary signing following damaging defeats against theoretical relegation-scrap rivals in Everton and Southampton respectively? —Nick Miller, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025

However, hosting a crowd in your home for the big game may come with more stress than a last-second Hail Mary! —Cody Godwin, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

translation of Medieval Latin Ave, Maria, from the opening words

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

Hail Mary

noun

-ˈme(ə)r-ē,

-ˈma(ə)r-ē,

-ˈmā-rē

: a Roman Catholic prayer to the Virgin Mary