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
Douglas Cote, quoted in BicyclingExamples of Hail Mary in a Sentence
He threw up a Hail Mary at the end of the first half.
Recent Examples on the Web
Lost in the craziness of Daniels' game-winning Hail Mary was the fact that the Bears offense could not move the ball in that contest.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Fans will have to keep the faith until Sunday, hoping for a Hail Mary, to see if the pope's blessing pays off on the field as the Saints play against the Atlanta Falcons.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 5 Nov. 2024
Still, the argument can also easily be made that the Bears never fully recovered from the Hail Mary knockout blow Jayden Daniels hit them with seven days earlier.
—Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2024
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who previously served as the national co-chair of Lawyers for Trump, has long had a special relationship with the former president, famously filing a Hail Mary lawsuit supporting him in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
—Asher Price, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for Hail Mary 
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.
Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Fans will have to keep the faith until Sunday, hoping for a Hail Mary, to see if the pope's blessing pays off on the field as the Saints play against the Atlanta Falcons.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 5 Nov. 2024
Still, the argument can also easily be made that the Bears never fully recovered from the Hail Mary knockout blow Jayden Daniels hit them with seven days earlier.
—Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2024
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who previously served as the national co-chair of Lawyers for Trump, has long had a special relationship with the former president, famously filing a Hail Mary lawsuit supporting him in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
—Asher Price, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for Hail Mary
Articles Related to Hail Mary
Are You Ready for Some Football (Words)?
So you can do more than smile and nod when talking about the big game
The Words of the Week - 11/20/20
Dictionary words from a new Twitter feature, Rudy Giuliani, the NFL, and Trump's various attempts to overturn the election.
15 Words that Come from Names and...
What if your nickname became a dictionary entry?
Dictionary Entries Near Hail Mary
Cite this Entry
“Hail Mary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Hail%20Mary. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share