1
: a preeminent person or thing : big gun
… the industry's big kahuna, with … 57 percent of the market …—
Andrew E. Serwer
Andrew E. Serwer2
: a Hawaiian shaman
Examples of kahuna in a Sentence
a big kahuna at a Hollywood talent agency, he's got the fancy car to prove it
Recent Examples on the Web
The locals know it as the sacred place where ancient kahuna po'o (high priests) meditated and received wisdom.
—Sunny Fitzgerald, Travel + Leisure, 18 Jan. 2026
Buium is the big kahuna of the Hughes return.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2025
And according to multiple sources with knowledge of the negotiations, Ohio State — the biggest of the Big Ten’s big kahunas — had not committed to voting in favor of the deal.
—Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Nov. 2025
The China tariff deal—not yet done—is the big kahuna in all of this.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kahuna
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Sunny Fitzgerald, Travel + Leisure, 18 Jan. 2026
Buium is the big kahuna of the Hughes return.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2025
And according to multiple sources with knowledge of the negotiations, Ohio State — the biggest of the Big Ten’s big kahunas — had not committed to voting in favor of the deal.
—Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Nov. 2025
The China tariff deal—not yet done—is the big kahuna in all of this.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kahuna
Cite this Entry
“Kahuna.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kahuna. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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