Maclean, Alistair Syllabification: (Mac·lean, Alistair)Pronunciation: /məˈklān/Definition of Maclean, Alistair (1922–87), Scottish novelist. He wrote thrillers including The Guns of Navarone (1957; movie, 1961), Where Eagles Dare (1967; movie, 1969), and Bear Island (1971; movie, 1979). Maclean, Alistair in other Oxford dictionaries Definition of Maclean, Alistair in the British & World English dictionary