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
Vanderbilt survived a Hail Mary against Missouri, while Memphis bounced back from its ugly loss to UAB to defeat South Florida and regain its spot as the leading Group of Five playoff contender.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Oct. 2025
Legend’s Smolen put up a Hail Mary pass at the end of the half, but it was picked off in the end zone by junior Lauren Culebro.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 26 Oct. 2025
With 43 seconds on the clock and a timeout in his back pocket, Albin chose the conservative route, handing the ball off twice and forgoing a Hail Mary to send the game to the half knotted up.
—Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 25 Oct. 2025
In something of a Hail Mary, the community board even included a call for the city to upzone the parcel.
—Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Hail Mary
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Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Oct. 2025
Legend’s Smolen put up a Hail Mary pass at the end of the half, but it was picked off in the end zone by junior Lauren Culebro.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 26 Oct. 2025
With 43 seconds on the clock and a timeout in his back pocket, Albin chose the conservative route, handing the ball off twice and forgoing a Hail Mary to send the game to the half knotted up.
—Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 25 Oct. 2025
In something of a Hail Mary, the community board even included a call for the city to upzone the parcel.
—Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Hail Mary
Cite this Entry
“Hail Mary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Hail%20Mary. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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