Hail Mary

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noun

Also called Hail Mary pass, 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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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of Hail Mary

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

Words nearby Hail Mary

Haile Selassie I, hail-fellow, hail-fellow-well-met, hail from, hailing distance, Hail Mary, Hailsham of St Marylebone, hailstone, hailstorm, “Hail to the Chief”, Hailwood

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Hail Mary in a sentence

He hits bottom at Rocamadour, a sanctuary in the Dordogne known as a citadel of faith devoted to Mary.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Gillingham tells Mary that he wants to make their lives simpler, but it sounds a little like the dying of the light.
What Downton’s Fashion Really Means|Katie Baker|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Then again, this is not the high-spirited Mary we met in Season 1—indeed, none of the Crawleys are the same.
What Downton’s Fashion Really Means|Katie Baker|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Maybe Mary is being more realistic about a second marriage—but is it too much to ask for a little fire?
What Downton’s Fashion Really Means|Katie Baker|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Mary Elizabeth Williams of Salon labels the show a “crass stunt” on a “bottom-feeding vortex of sadness network.”
Your Husband Is Definitely Gay: TLC’s Painful Portrait of Mormonism|Samantha Allen|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Mary is fair as the morning dew— Cheeks of roses and ribbons of blue!
Boys and Girls Bookshelf; a Practical Plan of Character Building, Volume I (of 17)|Various
But Mary had gone home after dressing her mistress, and the fat boy came back again more disturbed than before.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2)|Charles Dickens
He ruminated a little with a most disturbed expression of face, and left the room in search of Mary.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2)|Charles Dickens
By an Act passed in the 4th of William and Mary foreign buttons made of hair were forbidden to be imported.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
Mary, apparently much relieved, hurried away with her message.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2)|Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for Hail Mary

Hail Mary

noun

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

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012