Hail Mary

noun
plural Hail Marys

Definition of Hail Mary

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

Examples of Hail Mary in a Sentence

He threw up a Hail Mary at the end of the first half.

First Known Use of Hail Mary

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for Hail Mary

translation of Medieval Latin Ave, Maria, from the opening words

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for Hail Mary

Hail Mary

noun

English Language Learners Definition of Hail Mary

: a Roman Catholic prayer to the Virgin Mary
American football : a long forward pass thrown into or close to the end zone as playing time runs out