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
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.
Lost in the craziness of Daniels' game-winning Hail Mary was the fact that the Bears offense could not move the ball in that contest. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024 Fans will have to keep the faith until Sunday, hoping for a Hail Mary, to see if the pope's blessing pays off on the field as the Saints play against the Atlanta Falcons. Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 5 Nov. 2024 Still, the argument can also easily be made that the Bears never fully recovered from the Hail Mary knockout blow Jayden Daniels hit them with seven days earlier. Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2024 Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who previously served as the national co-chair of Lawyers for Trump, has long had a special relationship with the former president, famously filing a Hail Mary lawsuit supporting him in the aftermath of the 2020 election. Asher Price, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for Hail Mary 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of Hail Mary was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near Hail Mary

Cite this Entry

“Hail Mary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Hail%20Mary. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

Hail Mary

noun
-ˈme(ə)r-ē,
-ˈma(ə)r-ē,
-ˈmā-rē
: a Roman Catholic prayer to the Virgin Mary

More from Merriam-Webster on Hail Mary

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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