MacGuffin

or Mc·Guf·fin

[ muh-guhf-in ]

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.

Origin of MacGuffin

1
First recorded in 1935–40; probably from the surname MacGuffin and popularized by Alfred Hitchcock

Words Nearby MacGuffin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use MacGuffin in a sentence