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

Empire Entertainment, the Saudi distributor that handled Desert Warrior for MBC and looks after Sony releases in the territory, has had bigger hits this year, not least Project Hail Mary, which grossed $700,000 in its opening weekend. —Jake Kanter, Deadline, 2 May 2026

Her most recent roles include lending her voice to Hoppers, a cameo in Project Hail Mary, and the Hulu series Only Murders in the Building. —Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 29 Apr. 2026

In this regard, our media-entertainment industrial complex is actually leading the way, with Project Hail Mary and the Artemis coverage and the little hopecore movement currently blossoming. —Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 27 Apr. 2026

Ryan Gosling’s sci-fi hit Project Hail Mary is going to spend a bit more time in theaters before viewers will be able to watch the movie at home. —Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2026

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

Rhymes for Hail Mary

• askari
• astbury
• azeri
• banbury
• barberry
• blackberry
• blueberry
• canary
• cranberry
• dentary
• dewberry
• dogberry

Kids Definition

Hail Mary

noun

-ˈme(ə)r-ē, 

-ˈma(ə)r-ē, 

-ˈmā-rē

: a Roman Catholic prayer to the Virgin Mary