kahuna

noun

kə-ˈhü-nə How to pronounce kahuna (audio)
Definition of kahunanext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kahuna
  1. heavyweight
  2. big
  3. heavy
  4. king
  5. queen
  6. lion
  7. magnate
Noun
  • An Albanian heavyweight who stands six foot five and who has compiled a record of 20-1 with 20 knockouts.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • The losses underscore how South Korea's retail investing culture has amplified swings in the country's technology heavyweights, even as analysts argue the long-term outlook for memory-chip makers remains intact.
    — Lee Ying Shan,Blair Baek, CNBC, 20 July 2026
Definition of heavyweight
Noun
  • Plus, if Seattle wants to move Magbegor to create space for the young bigs, then other teams will know the Storm are doing so from a position of weakness.
    — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 21 July 2026
  • Data show those players have about an 11% chance to reach the bigs (compared to about 81% for those picked in the first round).
    — Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2026
Definition of big
Noun
  • Soon after Rhaenyra executes Otto Hightower, who was once mastermind of that family’s schemes, Ormund steps up to be the faction’s new heavy.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 13 July 2026
  • Shares of Meta are flat on the year, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq-100 is up 18%.
    — Oliver Renick, CNBC, 10 July 2026
Definition of heavy
Noun
  • The turnaround shocked even heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk, whose face ringside was caught by TV cameras.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 July 2026
  • The reunion was instead moved to Highgrove House, the king's country residence in Gloucestershire, England.
    — Ilaria Perrotta, Vanity Fair, 25 July 2026
Definition of king
Noun
  • The rare artifacts taken from the famed museum include jewelry owned by Napoleon III’s wife Empress Eugénie and a royal sapphire tiara, necklace, and matching earring owned by Queen Marie-Amélie, the last queen of France.
    — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 22 July 2026
  • Necklaces and jewelry owned by other French queens, including Empress Marie Louise, Marie-Amélie, and Hortense Bonaparte, were also taken.
    — Siladitya Ray, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of queen
Noun
  • Anchored by Valdez himself, now in his 80s and filling the camera frame like a grandfatherly lion, the film supplements his vivid biographical details with rich archival footage and testimonials from family members, collaborators and peers.
    — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026
  • Natural Selection’s new-build camp Tawana is set amid Botswana’s Moremi Game Reserve, some 1,900 square miles of grassland and flood plain teeming with antelope and elephants, lions and hippos.
    — Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 23 July 2026
Definition of lion
Noun
  • Leonardo DiCaprio adds heart as Dom Cobb, a troubled leader of a dream team on a mission to enter and tinker around with the dreams of a man (Cillian Murphy) who’s heir to a wealthy and dying energy magnate.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 14 July 2026
  • Cruise, who stars as the titular Southern oil magnate Digger Rockwell, is sporting a very new look in the role — as shown in the July 13 trailer.
    — Meg Walters, InStyle, 13 July 2026
Definition of magnate

Browse Nearby Words

Kafkaesque
kahuna
kahunas
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Cite this Entry

“Kahuna.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kahuna. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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