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 is just the beginning. —Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2026

Ryan Gosling, who stars in Project Hail Mary, and Jon Batiste, who stars in The Thomas Crown Affair, rock fashion-forward looks on the red carpet at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on April 15. —Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 18 Apr. 2026

The studio currently has a massive hit on its hands in Project Hail Mary. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 15 Apr. 2026

The film Project Hail Mary has just blasted past the milestone of $400 million revenue globally and is generating early Oscar buzz. —Tara Haelle, NPR, 12 Apr. 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