Meaning & use
MacGuffin
Last updated
an object, event, or goal in a story that motivates the plot but has little importance in itself.
See it in a sentence
The stolen briefcase is a classic MacGuffin -- nobody ever finds out what's inside it.
Critics debated whether the ancient artifact was a meaningful symbol or just a MacGuffin.
A note on using this word
Popularized by director Alfred Hitchcock; often capitalized even though it functions as an ordinary common noun in film criticism.
Words with a similar meaning
plot device
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