Hail Mary pass

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.

This comes into sharpest focus when you examine their crash-and-burn business ventures — each one a Hail Mary pass toward self-respect, status, or at least passive income.

From Salon • Jul. 22, 2025

Dr Heller describes training the algorithm on available data from just a few 100 patients as a "Hail Mary pass".

From BBC • Dec. 19, 2024

But that didn’t stop members of the Texas Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence, several of whom had signed the letter to the pardon board, from throwing a Hail Mary pass.

From Slate • Oct. 18, 2024

In last season’s meeting, USD’s Jeremiah Webb hauled in a 57-yard Hail Mary pass from Camp on the final play of the game for a 23-20 victory over fourth-ranked SDSU.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 8, 2022

If not for a dropped Hail Mary pass from California quarterback Jack Plummer in the Notre Dame end zone, the Fighting Irish would have been headed to overtime against the Golden Bears.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 18, 2022