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

On defense, the Hurricanes have struggled recently at defending the deep pass, allowing big plays against Pittsburgh and nearly allowing a game-tying Hail Mary against Florida State. — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 30 Oct. 2026

Savion Williams would only be a Hail Mary WR4/5 without Golden. — Jake Ciely, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026

This year’s Audience Award nominees are Backrooms, La Bola Negra, The Drama, The Invite, Michael, Obsession, Project Hail Mary and You Can See Everything. — Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2026

Texas ran for 212 yards, and it all but put the game away on the ground until Ole Miss assembled an evening-ending combination of plays that led to a Hail Mary attempt to potentially win it. — Mac Engel october 25, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Oct. 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