as in heavyweight
one of high position or importance within a group
a big kahuna at a Hollywood talent agency, he's got the fancy car to prove it
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of kahuna
Today may not be your actual filing deadline: Yes, April 15 is the big kahuna of tax-filing deadlines for most people.
—
Jeanne Sahadi, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024
The ISM Manufacturing Index kicks things off today with plenty of more data over the coming days, anchored by the big kahuna, Friday’s employment situation report for July.
—Jj Kinahan, Forbes, 1 Aug. 2022
But the big kahuna is still to come, as the company finally confirmed that the Supra is officially getting a manual transmission.
—Joey Capparella, Car and Driver, 15 Apr. 2022
As an inside joke, Keōua’s kahuna, whose tongue Ka’iana rips out of his mouth in front of Keōua during the hectic battle, is played by Kahoʻokahi Kanuha, Momoa’s ʻŌlelo Hawai’i coach.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for kahuna
Jeanne Sahadi, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024
The ISM Manufacturing Index kicks things off today with plenty of more data over the coming days, anchored by the big kahuna, Friday’s employment situation report for July.
—Jj Kinahan, Forbes, 1 Aug. 2022
But the big kahuna is still to come, as the company finally confirmed that the Supra is officially getting a manual transmission.
—Joey Capparella, Car and Driver, 15 Apr. 2022
As an inside joke, Keōua’s kahuna, whose tongue Ka’iana rips out of his mouth in front of Keōua during the hectic battle, is played by Kahoʻokahi Kanuha, Momoa’s ʻŌlelo Hawai’i coach.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for kahuna
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kahuna
Noun
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Why the disparity in box office results between the social media heavyweights?—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
4 Oct. 2025
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Rountree shared his thoughts on how Pereira would perform as a heavyweight.—
Fernando Quiles Jr,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Some of those bigs will be better as middle-of-the-floor centers, while others will be able to play alongside those centers as power forwards.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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That means if Earth were the size of a nickel, Saturn would be as a big as a volleyball.—
John Tufts,
IndyStar,
21 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Of all the runway shows during Paris Fashion Week, no front row is as buzzy and celeb-heavy as Dior's.—
Kara Nesvig,
Allure,
1 Oct. 2025
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In February, Mayor Harrell, at the behest of local heavies such as Amazon and Microsoft, led the opposition to a referendum on another tax on those companies which would help pay for public, mixed-income housing in a city that desperately needs it.—
Bill McKibben,
New Yorker,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The science, literature and economics prizes are presented to the laureates by the Swedish king at a ceremony in Stockholm on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death, followed by a lavish banquet at city hall.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
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The accommodations offer resort, coastline, or ocean views; king or double queen beds; balconies or ground-level patios; and optional Club level.—
Patricia Doherty,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Congratulations to Roman on raising two successful queens!—
Essence,
Essence,
1 Oct. 2025
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Another important aspect is the South Sudanese tribes that were filmed look like kings and queens in their colors and in their beads.—
Michal Ruprecht,
NPR,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Beyond the mental clarity and razor sharp focus, taking mushrooms like lion’s mane also comes without many of the potential side effects that are typically associated with stimulants like jitters, energy spikes, and mid-day crashes.—
Brianna Peters,
Vogue,
1 Oct. 2025
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That Harbaugh has garnered the lion’s share of criticism for the Ravens’ 1-3 start isn’t at all surprising.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Designer Joe Nahem creatively combined two units at the Continuum South Beach for the late real estate magnate and eight-time Tony-winning Broadway producer Luigi Caiola.—
Mark David,
Robb Report,
1 Oct. 2025
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Known as the Uplands Mansion, the palatial home was built in 1917 for the grandson for railroad magnate Charles Crocker.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kahuna.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kahuna. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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