MacGuffin

American  

[muh-guhf-in] / məˈgʌf ɪn /

Or McGuffin

noun

1. a plot device in a work of fiction, often a physical object, that drives the plot forward without factoring into the story’s resolution.

   The statue in The Maltese Falcon is the most well-known example of a MacGuffin in cinema.

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Etymology

Origin of MacGuffin

First recorded in 1935–40; probably from the surname MacGuffin and popularized by Alfred Hitchcock

Example Sentences

It is too bad the book’s discussion of Hitchcock is limited to the MacGuffin, because the filmmaker had an insight of great relevance to Mr. Foster’s topic.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 30, 2025

This sequence is ostensibly there to introduce the film’s MacGuffin, Archimedes Antikythera, a real celestial calculation machine with extraordinary predictive capabilities that in the film is bestowed with some otherworldly powers.

From Washington Times • Jun. 27, 2023

Another structural problem is the globe-hopping quest for the Grail, which Diamantopoulos’s character calls the “most overused MacGuffin ever,” one of several pre-emptive meta-critiques.

From New York Times • Apr. 19, 2023

Little seems to be much at stake even after the value of the MacGuffin, er "The Handle," is revealed to be something that could permanently alter the world forever.

From Salon • Mar. 3, 2023

She posted these great rambling essays about her search for Halliday’s egg, which she called a “maddening MacGuffin hunt.”

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline