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
Douglas Cote, quoted in BicyclingExamples of Hail Mary in a Sentence
He threw up a Hail Mary at the end of the first half.
Recent Examples on the Web
Then came the Hail Mary in Washington and the loss in Arizona and Andrew Billings’ injury and coach Matt Eberflus’ firing … and things fell apart.
—Kevin Fishbain, The Athletic, 25 Jan. 2025
Keep one in the car to pull off a last-ditch, Hail Mary volume boost on the way to wherever you’re headed.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 22 Jan. 2025
His next movie, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s Project Hail Mary, opens in March 2026.
—Daniel S. Levine, People.com, 22 Jan. 2025
See the loss to the Packers, the first loss to the Lions and the painful Hail Mary defeat to the Commanders as proof.
—Steve Silverman, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for Hail Mary 
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Kevin Fishbain, The Athletic, 25 Jan. 2025
Keep one in the car to pull off a last-ditch, Hail Mary volume boost on the way to wherever you’re headed.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 22 Jan. 2025
His next movie, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s Project Hail Mary, opens in March 2026.
—Daniel S. Levine, People.com, 22 Jan. 2025
See the loss to the Packers, the first loss to the Lions and the painful Hail Mary defeat to the Commanders as proof.
—Steve Silverman, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for Hail Mary
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Cite this Entry
“Hail Mary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Hail%20Mary. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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