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
Released in March, the new sci-fi flick ‘Project Hail Mary’ features Puerto Rican puppeteer James Ortiz, who stars opposite Ryan Gosling.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
Movie pulled in $130 million from 4,200 North American theaters to arrive as the year’s biggest opening — dethroning the Ryan Gosling sci-fi crowd pleaser Project Hail Mary, which claimed the title of 2026’s biggest debut just seven days earlier.
—Chris Lee, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2026
Super Mario Galaxy is achieving a number other milestones, including delivering the year’s biggest three-day opening of the year so far, a record held briefly by sleeper hit Project Hail Mary.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 4 Apr. 2026
In just two weeks, Project Hail Mary, the space odyssey helmed by Spider-Verse producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, became the highest grossing film of 2026 so far.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Apr. 2026
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Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
Movie pulled in $130 million from 4,200 North American theaters to arrive as the year’s biggest opening — dethroning the Ryan Gosling sci-fi crowd pleaser Project Hail Mary, which claimed the title of 2026’s biggest debut just seven days earlier.
—Chris Lee, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2026
Super Mario Galaxy is achieving a number other milestones, including delivering the year’s biggest three-day opening of the year so far, a record held briefly by sleeper hit Project Hail Mary.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 4 Apr. 2026
In just two weeks, Project Hail Mary, the space odyssey helmed by Spider-Verse producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, became the highest grossing film of 2026 so far.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Apr. 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 8 Apr. 2026.
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