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 final opportunity came as time expired, when Kohl launched a Hail Mary that sailed through the back of the end zone, officially ending FIU’s comeback attempt. — Alejandro Hernandez, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2026

One of his passing touchdowns came on a 35-yard Hail Mary to Chaz Nimrod with 24 seconds to play. — ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026

After putting one second back on the clock, quarterback Bryce Underwood threw the second Hail Mary, with JJ Buchanan catching it for a 47-yard touchdown. — Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

Drawn Together placed first, above blockbusters such as Project Hail Mary in fourth and Masters of the Universe in fifth, in the latest Prime Video film ranking, for the week of September 7-13. — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 16 Sep. 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