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 has become Amazon MGM Studios’ highest-grossing film to date with a $684M worldwide release and is viewed as a likely awards contender. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 19 Aug. 2026

The day marked their first day of high school and an astounding Hail Mary comeback for the Catholic school wrecked by a tornado June 11. — Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026

Ray Porter is famous for science fiction like Project Hail Mary and the Bobiverse series. — Frank Racioppi, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Mason was standing on the sideline in the final seconds of the game when Colts quarterback Riley Leonard attempted a Hail Mary that fell incomplete but would have given Indy the walk-off win. — James Boyd, New York Times, 14 Aug. 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