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

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

“We believe deeply in the Hail Mary, and it’s clear audiences do as well,” Kevin Wilson, head of domestic theatrical distribution for Amazon MGM Studios, said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026

Casting Paul "was an-all-or nothing Hail Mary to try and revive the dying franchise", the insider said.

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026

Guest: Frankie de la Cretaz, writer at the intersection of sports, gender, culture, and queerness, author of Hail Mary: the Rise and Fall of the National Women’s Football League and Out of Your League newsletter.

From Slate • Feb. 26, 2026

When we finished saying Hail Mary about three hundred times, we said our personal prayers silently, which was kept to a minimum, since our knees would be killing us by then.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd