McGuffin

British

/ məˈɡʌfɪn /

noun

an object or event in a book or a film that serves as the impetus for the plot

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of McGuffin

C20: coined (c. 1935) by Sir Alfred _Hitchcock

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.

Mr Hess, for his part, compared the department to a "McGuffin" - a plot device famously used by Alfred Hitchcock to develop a character's plot arc, while at the same time being largely irrelevant.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2025

Officers and Nichols were just 100 yards from the home of Nichols’ parents during the encounter, according to Jennifer McGuffin, the chief spokesperson for Romanucci & Blandon, the law firm representing the family.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 27, 2023

In fact, the judge limited her ruling only to the possibility of a change in policy, according to Jennifer McGuffin, a spokeswoman for Romanucci’s firm.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 8, 2021

This sounds like the most standard of superhero plots, with the heroes trying to prevent the villain from getting a world-changing McGuffin.

From The Verge • Apr. 5, 2018

“Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?”

From "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023