Other forms: MacGyvered; MacGyvering; MacGyvers
To MacGyver is to solve a problem in a creative way using any available random objects. Drop your keys down an elevator shaft? You may have to MacGyver them out using a shoelace, gum, and a magnet!
This slang verb is named after the protagonist on MacGyver, which ran from 1985 until 1992. MacGyver was a resourceful secret agent who repeatedly freed himself from sticky predicaments using his ingenuity (plus his Swiss Army knife and duct tape). When you fix something in an innovative, makeshift way, you MacGyver it — even if you're not making a papier-mache hot air balloon using a soccer ball or creating a smokescreen from baking soda and vinegar like the original MacGyver.