Hail Mary

American  

[heyl mer-ee, mair-ee] / ˈheɪl ˈmɛr i, ˈmɛər i /

noun

1. Ave Maria.

2. Also called Hail Mary pass,.  Also called Hail Mary play.  a long forward pass in football, especially as a last-ditch attempt at the end of a game, where completion is considered unlikely.

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Hail Mary British  

noun

1. Also called: Ave Maria.  RC Church a prayer to the Virgin Mary, based on the salutations of the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:28) and Elizabeth (Luke 1:42) to her

2. slang American football a very long high pass into the end zone, made in the final seconds of a half or of a game

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Etymology

Origin of Hail Mary

1300–50; Middle English, translation of Medieval Latin Ave Maria

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Hail Mary

What’s Next: Smartbird’s transformation is still a Hail Mary, though its stock shot up 39% on Wednesday.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

“With the last $20,000, as a Hail Mary, we created and launched Subway Takes,” says Kuo, who produces the show.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

The plaintiffs then filed a Hail Mary request with the Supreme Court to intervene before the D.C.

From Slate ● Apr. 21, 2026

The findings, published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, echo the kind of mission imagined in the Hollywood film Project Hail Mary.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 25, 2026

But even though I’m talking again, I can’t seem to fish the words for an Our Father or Hail Mary out of my brain.

From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez