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

Project Hail Mary, the latest adaptation of The Martian author Andy Weir's work, will soon touch down in theaters around the world. —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Mar. 2026

The Canadian actor, who has been an ambassador for the Swiss watchmaker since 2021, wore the cool new Carrera Chronograph Seafarer to the London premiere of Project Hail Mary on Monday. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 14 Mar. 2026

Styles’ first song was introduced by Ryan Gosling, who crashed his show much like the One Direction star crashed the Project Hail Mary star’s episode. —Peter White, Deadline, 14 Mar. 2026

Granular, often infuriating descriptions like that one are ultimately what make Hail Mary sing. —Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 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