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

The White House thought of this as a kind of a bold Hail Mary to get a ceasefire by trying to box in Netanyahu via making the deal public. —Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 11 June 2024

Her head is often bowed forward, as if in a perpetually submissive pose to the world at large, occasionally biting her nails and silently gesturing the Hail Mary. —Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 1 May 2024

An entire species now hinges on 30 individuals and a Hail Mary plan to put them behind glass. —Erik Vance, Scientific American, 1 Aug. 2017

The Hail Mary attempt didn’t stand a chance, but officials whistled a shooting foul that sent Sander to the free throw line with three chances, needing one to win the game. —Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 5 Apr. 2024

At a time when everyone was struggling — not just at Pease, but in similar public schools and communities throughout the country — educators needed a ‘Hail Mary. —Jennifer Jolly, USA TODAY, 19 May 2024

In Ireland, Richard Bolger and Conor Barry at Hail Mary Pictures co-produced with financing provided by Fís Éireann and Screen Ireland. —Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 May 2024

Ireland’s Richard Bolger and Conor Barry of Hail Mary co-produced. —Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 16 May 2024

His next project, recently announced, is Project Hail Mary, a space drama to be directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. —Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 1 May 2024

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