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Get to know Macguffin better with 10+ real example sentences, the meaning and synonyms like mcguffin.

Rare word

Macguffin in a sentence

Related words

Macguffin | Macguffins

Macguffin meaning

A plot element or other device used to catch the audience's attention and maintain suspense, but whose exact nature has fairly little influence over the storyline.

Synonyms of Macguffin

mcguffin plot element

Related words

Other words often associated with Macguffin or its synonyms:

element ingredient constituent factor component

Using Macguffin

  • The main meaning on this page is: A plot element or other device used to catch the audience's attention and maintain suspense, but whose exact nature has fairly little influence over the storyline.
  • Useful related words include: mcguffin, plot element.
  • In the example corpus, macguffin often appears in combinations such as: the macguffin.

Context around Macguffin

  • Average sentence length in these examples: 17 words
  • Position in the sentence: 2 start, 2 middle, 7 end
  • Sentence types: 10 statements, 1 questions, 0 exclamations

Often before:

big 1× new 1× huge 1× important 1×

Often after:

wouldn 1×

Sentence patterns with Macguffin

These short patterns come directly from the example sentences and show how the word is often embedded:

1991 the macguffin p 173 1× a new macguffin 1× as a macguffin 1× be the macguffin of the 1× introduce the macguffin 1× its big macguffin 1× one huge macguffin 1× sora s macguffin is his 1×

Sentence openings and endings

Common sentence openings:

i asked if 1× it s odd 1× retrieved 16 february 1× sora s macguffin 1× stanley elkin 1991 1× the macguffin was 1×

Common sentence endings:

a new macguffin 1× as a macguffin 1× award for fiction 1× introduce the macguffin 1× is his friends 1× its big macguffin 1×

Words around Macguffin

Just before it in the word index:

macgregors 2 macgregor 70 macgraw 4 macgowran 5 macgowan 22 macgovern 2

Just after it in the word index:

macguffins 2 macguire 2 macgyver 14 mach 318 macha 7 machaba 2

Similar in corpus frequency:

aadi 14 aayush 14 abbottabad 14 aberdonian 14 abhi 14 aborting 14

Corpus analysis for Macguffin

  • In this selection, "macguffin" usually appears near the end of the sentence. The average example has 17 words, and this corpus slice is mostly made up of statements.
  • Around the word, big, new, huge and wouldn stand out and add context to how "macguffin" is used.
  • Recognizable usage signals include 1991 the macguffin p 173 and a new macguffin. That gives this page its own corpus information beyond isolated example sentences.
  • By corpus frequency, "macguffin" sits close to words such as aadi, aayush and abbottabad, which helps place it inside the broader word index.

Example types with macguffin

The same corpus examples are grouped by length and sentence type, making it easier to see the contexts in which the word appears:

Short example sentences

Back to the MacGuffin. (4 words)

Is He Just One Huge Macguffin? (6 words)

Sora’s MacGuffin is his friends. (6 words)

Longer example sentences

I asked if Marvel had orchestrated it so that the important MacGuffin wouldn't be revealed in any other movie, and the writers explained why they were ultimately super happy that things happened the way that they did. (38 words)

Stanley Elkin, 1991, The MacGuffin, p. 173 This is quite common in Spanish, where the use of bracketing question marks explicitly indicates the scope of interrogation. (26 words)

I would then receive a radio call telling me to travel to the northeast because I had to grab a new MacGuffin. (22 words)

Question examples

Is He Just One Huge Macguffin? (6 words)

Example sentences (11)

Back to the MacGuffin.

It's a cute moment and reflects an movie tradition of finding unusual uses for its big MacGuffin.

It’s odd that The Super Mario Bros. Movie decides to have one Super Star be the MacGuffin of the film.

I would then receive a radio call telling me to travel to the northeast because I had to grab a new MacGuffin.

Is He Just One Huge Macguffin?

Sora’s MacGuffin is his friends.

I asked if Marvel had orchestrated it so that the important MacGuffin wouldn't be revealed in any other movie, and the writers explained why they were ultimately super happy that things happened the way that they did.

The results could be genuinely sweet, but the approach meant the show treated politics as a MacGuffin.

Retrieved 16 February 2014 This film was also one of the first to introduce the " MacGuffin ".

Stanley Elkin, 1991, The MacGuffin, p. 173 This is quite common in Spanish, where the use of bracketing question marks explicitly indicates the scope of interrogation.

The MacGuffin was a finalist for the 1991 National Book Award for Fiction.

Common combinations with macguffin

These word pairs occur most frequently in English texts:

Frequently asked questions

How do you use "macguffin" in a sentence?
An example: "Back to the MacGuffin." This page contains 10+ example sentences with the word "macguffin" from authentic English texts.
What does "macguffin" mean?
Macguffin means: A plot element or other device used to catch the audience's attention and maintain suspense, but whose exact nature has fairly little influence over the storyline.
What are synonyms of "macguffin"?
Common synonyms of "macguffin" include: mcguffin, plot element.
How many example sentences with "macguffin" are there?
Voorbeeldzinnen.info contains at least 10+ example sentences with "macguffin", drawn from a database of millions of English sentences.