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
What Critics Are Saying About Project Hail Mary Project Hail Mary holds a 94% critics score and 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of publication.
—
Hannah Abraham,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
The city hurriedly put together a pitch for the Bears, calling the site Halas Harbor until the Bears rejected the Hail Mary play in favor of Hammond.
—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
28 June 2026
But even internally, some would likely deem firing Mendoza in the hopes of some kind of momentum as a Hail Mary.
—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
26 June 2026
Gosling enthusiastically accepted via an Instagram video posted on Project Hail Mary's social media page.
—
Marina Watts,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for Hail Mary
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Hannah Abraham,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
The city hurriedly put together a pitch for the Bears, calling the site Halas Harbor until the Bears rejected the Hail Mary play in favor of Hammond.
—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
28 June 2026
But even internally, some would likely deem firing Mendoza in the hopes of some kind of momentum as a Hail Mary.
—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
26 June 2026
Gosling enthusiastically accepted via an Instagram video posted on Project Hail Mary's social media page.
—
Marina Watts,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 June 2026
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 7 Jul. 2026.
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