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

British composer Daniel Pemberton was named film composer of the year for Project Hail Mary, The Drama, The Bad Guys 2 and Masters of the Universe. — Paul Grein, Billboard, 10 Oct. 2026

Project Hail Mary’s Ryan Gosling is still floating around charmingly in zero gravity in the background. — Nate Jones, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026

But surprise hits like Obsession, Project Hail Mary or The Invite have made this year an especially buoying one for the cinephiles among us. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026

There's a lot to love about this Lego Icons Project Hail Mary set, including the lack of annoying stickers. — Chris McMullen, Space.com, 6 Oct. 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