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

Instead of trying for a Hail Mary throw into the end zone, Allen found Dalton Kincaid streaking across the field and made a pinpoint throw to the tight end with one second left. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 8 Sep. 2025

Springfield Central had one final gasp, as Staine lofted a Hail Mary pass toward the end zone. —Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 7 Sep. 2025

FanDuel, a popular online gambling company, threw them a Hail Mary by offering to restore express train service for the Philadelphia Eagles’ season opener against National Football League (NFL) division rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, on Thursday. —Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025

His podcast Hail Mary paid off, however, as Swift apparently caught the remarks. —Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2025

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