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 Use their prop bet builder to construct Hail Mary wagers with just a few clicks or create same-game parlays that ride on a single lucky pass. Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024 Would Gronkowski have snared Brady's Hail Mary for a Super Bowl miracle had the star tight end not been saddled with a high ankle sprain? Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2024 With little hope of finding Armstrong, authorities threw a Hail Mary pass. David K. Li, NBC News, 29 Jan. 2024 Now 27, she is set to stand trial in Santa Fe on Feb. 21 on charges of involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering, after a judge rejected a Hail Mary motion her attorney filed to dismiss the case, in a hearing on Feb. 14. Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2024 The football drama at UCLA took a wild turn Monday when a desperate Martin Jarmond threw a Hail Mary pass through a torrential downpour. Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2024 Hurts threw one last Hail Mary on the Eagles' next and final drive, which landed incomplete and ended the game. Jordan Freiman, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2024 Developer details ‘reimagined’ domed Soldier Field in ‘Hail Mary’ bid to keep Bears in Chicago. Chicago Tribune Staff, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2024 To prevent against the Hail Mary, Miami positioned three of its defensive backs all the way back on the 15. C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Hail Mary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of Hail Mary was in the 14th century

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 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Hail Mary

noun
-ˈme(ə)r-ē,
-ˈma(ə)r-ē,
-ˈmā-rē
: a Roman Catholic prayer to the Virgin Mary

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