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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Bears lost this matchup in embarrassing fashion last year as the Commanders completed a Hail Mary with time expiring. Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025 The players won’t be watching the ABC coverage, which will certainly air the Hail Mary several times. Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025 More than 400 users also responded to the comment, adding their own message to Cardi or supporting Pooh Shiesty’s Hail Mary shot. Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 8 Oct. 2025 On the next play, Hurts threw a last-ditch Hail Mary into the end zone. Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Hail Mary

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of Hail Mary was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hail Mary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Hail%20Mary. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

Hail Mary

noun
-ˈme(ə)r-ē,
-ˈma(ə)r-ē,
-ˈmā-rē
: a Roman Catholic prayer to the Virgin Mary

More from Merriam-Webster on Hail Mary

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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