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

All of this feels like a bit of a Hail Mary from Bungie, adding a PvE mode a season and a half after the launch of Marathon, which was always pitched as a high-level PvPvE game. —Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, directors of the 2026 box office hit Project Hail Mary, are among the film’s executive producers. —Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026

Hüller is having a hell of a year, winning the Silver Bear for her role as a woman passing herself off as a male soldier to claim an estate in Rose, and playing the wry, sadly pragmatic head of the international task force in Project Hail Mary, one of the biggest hits of the year. —Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 May 2026

Movie posters for The Devil Wears Prada 2, Project Hail Mary and Michael. —Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 12 May 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