Hail Mary
Americannoun
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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.
noun
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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
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slang American football a very long high pass into the end zone, made in the final seconds of a half or of a game
Etymology
Origin of Hail Mary
1300–50; Middle English, translation of Medieval Latin Ave Maria
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But he was hit while releasing a Hail Mary attempt that wobbled incomplete.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
Landing Skubal in exchange for a trio of promising prospects isn’t a Hail Mary heave.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
One example comes from the recent blockbuster "Project Hail Mary," which features a five-limbed alien with a rock-like exterior.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 24, 2026
The plaintiffs then filed a Hail Mary request with the Supreme Court to intervene before the D.C.
From Slate ● Apr. 21, 2026
Even though I’m not Catholic, I say a Hail Mary, give Mango his medicine, and then throw in another Hail Mary because I can’t think of anything else.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
