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
The China tariff deal—not yet done—is the big kahuna in all of this.
—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
5 Aug. 2025
But EnCharge is entering a competitive field, and among the competitors is the big kahuna, Nvidia.
—
IEEE Spectrum,
2 June 2025
This has to be a big kahuna, among records Swift could break that go back to the very beginning of the album chart.
—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
19 June 2024
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
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
5 Aug. 2025
But EnCharge is entering a competitive field, and among the competitors is the big kahuna, Nvidia.
—
IEEE Spectrum,
2 June 2025
This has to be a big kahuna, among records Swift could break that go back to the very beginning of the album chart.
—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
19 June 2024
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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The lineup of country music heavyweights due to receive special awards from the Academy of Country Music this summer has been set, with Kacey Musgraves, Ella Langley and Eric Church among the stars being feted at the 19th annual ACM Honors program.
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Shares of South Korean chip heavyweight Samsung Electronics rose more than 4% after jumping as much as 10% earlier in the session.
Noun
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Like Stewart, Ejiofor has the kind of strength to deal with being an undersized big.
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So Bauer heads back to Mexico City, continuing a journey that has taken him everywhere except the bigs.
Noun
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Geoffrey Lechantoux is responsible for the French-seafood-heavy menu.
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Most standard blends are nitrogen-heavy, which encourages leaf growth instead of fruit.
Noun
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Nonetheless, he is made king and often found eschewing his royal duties in favor of visiting brothels or hanging out with those who work for him.
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The cinema may be king after all.
Noun
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The room was spacious and well-outfitted, and there are also double queen guest rooms available in this section of the resort.
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The logic here is highly questionable — dying for your queen and dying by her hand are not equivalent sacrifices — but let’s blame Lorent’s lapse in judgment on the chaos of the moment.
Noun
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That’s one less lion left for Daemon to kill.
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In some species—lions, for instance—only one male and his closest buddies get the chance to sire offspring.
Noun
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One of the previous proposals was a 12-story project proposed by San Diego hotel magnate and onetime San Diego Union-Tribune owner Doug Manchester.
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Casino magnate Miriam Adelson, the hedge-fund billionaire Ken Griffin, the options trader Jeff Yass, and the shipping-supplies billionaires Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein each gave more than $100 million.
Cite this Entry
“Kahuna.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kahuna. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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