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.
Ryan Gosling is a middle school teacher who is tasked with a mission somehow more impossible than getting his students to care, well, about anything, in the first trailer for Project Hail Mary. Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 30 June 2025 Project Hail Mary is slated to hit theaters on March 20, 2026. ArsTechnica, 30 June 2025 Ryan Gosling isn’t convinced that venturing to outer space seems like a blast in the first trailer for Amazon MGM Studios‘ sci-fi movie Project Hail Mary. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller directed the film that hits theaters March 20, 2026. Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 30 June 2025 Is there any Hail Mary that can come through now that that clock has reached zero? Selome Hailu, Variety, 28 June 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 5 Jul. 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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