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

With 2:16 remaining, Sanders helped orchestrate a magical drive which culminated in the game going to overtime following the Hail Mary touchdown to Wester. —Ben Morse, CNN, 22 Sep. 2024

Both have since seen shares tumble and could be looking for a Hail Mary. —Claire Rychlewski, Axios, 20 Sep. 2024

By episode’s end, not even a Hail Mary pitch to vote Anika out was able to save him from the wrath of Jeff’s torch snuffer. —Nick Caruso, TVLine, 19 Sep. 2024

Then on the final play of the game, Williams — a rookie safety — intercepted Richardson’s Hail Mary pass. —Rob Reischel, Forbes, 15 Sep. 2024

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

Kids Definition

Hail Mary

noun

-ˈme(ə)r-ē,

-ˈma(ə)r-ē,

-ˈmā-rē

: a Roman Catholic prayer to the Virgin Mary