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
  • The much-ballyhooed heavyweight boxing match between Mike Tyson and Andrew Golota ends abruptly when Golota quits after the second round; later Golota is hospitalized with a concussion.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 July 2026
  • Tech heavyweight Samsung Electronics fell almost 7% on Tuesday as concerns about spending and demand overshadowed a massive increase in the company’s second-quarter operating profit.
    — Justina Lee,Alex Harring, CNBC, 6 July 2026
Definition of heavyweight
Noun
  • Robinson will be a far tougher test for Embiid and the East’s other bigs.
    — Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Mazzulla’s scheme could help, even in lineups with Neemias Queta, because of how often Boston puts its bigs out on the perimeter as screeners and dribble-handoff threats.
    — Sam Vecenie, New York Times, 30 June 2026
Definition of big
Noun
  • That could weigh on the tech-heavy Nasdaq-100, which just welcomed SpaceX as its newest member on Tuesday.
    — Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 7 July 2026
  • Geoffrey Lechantoux is responsible for the French-seafood-heavy menu.
    — Nancy Kane, Curbed, 25 June 2026
Definition of heavy
Noun
  • Garbrandt, once an undefeated bantamweight king, now holds a 15-8 record, with most losses coming by finish.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 12 July 2026
  • Now much of their thinking has infiltrated nu-conservatism, and the rest of us have been forced to learn about Braden Peters, better known as Clavicular—the king of the looksmaxxing sphere.
    — Jia Tolentino, New Yorker, 11 July 2026
Definition of king
Noun
  • The queen, 78, brought her younger sister Annabel Elliott, 77, to day 10 of the tennis championships on Wednesday, July 8, as Britain battled another intense heatwave, with temperatures expecting to climb to 91°F in London.
    — Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 8 July 2026
  • What do an entertaining queen, a pop legend, and a supermodel have in common?
    — Jeaneen Russell, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
Definition of queen
Noun
  • Some people, however, take more than others, with cops and crooks snagging the lion’s share while ordinary people divvy up the scraps.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 11 July 2026
  • Then came the removal of China’s lions along with national symbols at other countries’ buildings across Ny-Ålesund.
    — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 10 July 2026
Definition of lion
Noun
  • The ruins of Dungeness, a 59-room, 37,000-square-foot estate house dating to the mid-1880s, once owned by Thomas Carnegie, brother and business partner of Pittsburgh steel magnate Andrew Carnegie.
    — Jennifer Peebles, AJC.com, 7 July 2026
  • The 78-year-old Lai, a former clothing magnate and publisher of a Hong Kong tabloid critical of Beijing, received a 20-year sentence in February.
    — Didi Tang, Los Angeles Times, 5 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 12 Jul. 2026.

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