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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Recent Examples of kahuna
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
The big kahuna, Photoshop itself, costs a minimum of $9.99 per month, but that subscription also includes Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, and 20GB of cloud storage.
—PCMAG, 10 May 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
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
The big kahuna, Photoshop itself, costs a minimum of $9.99 per month, but that subscription also includes Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, and 20GB of cloud storage.
—PCMAG, 10 May 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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Among the Italian heavyweights, Zegna is absent, having decided to show its spring 2027 collection in Los Angeles on June 5, as reported.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
14 May 2026
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Beulah is the local heavyweight of Rio Paloma, a multi-generation rancher with a palatial home to match.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
14 May 2026
Noun
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The problem came later in the fourth quarter, when the Spurs’ low man defender had to step up to stop Edwards or Julius Randle and the Wolves’ other bigs were able to cut behind the defense to clean everything up on the glass.—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
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The Sparks are backcourt heavy, then have three bigs in Nneka Ogwumike, Cameron Brink and Dearica Hamby.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Noun
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Scoring more than 50% off on these bass-heavy icons is a total win for your playlist and your pocket.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The only caution is that the Chiefs were drafting from a position of strength and still leaned projection-heavy on a few picks, but that is a very small complaint for a very sharp weekend.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The home has a comfortable, king-sized bed and a private bathroom, too.—
Kimberley Mok,
Travel + Leisure,
10 May 2026
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The award marks further recognition of both creator-writer Raphael Montes, king of crime fiction in Brazil, and in this case HBO Max Latin America’s first original telenovela as global streamers move very successfully into the long series format.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
10 May 2026
Noun
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The queens of the ballroom extravaganza have moved both costume designer Qween Jean’s fabulous couture and the cats’ quest for immortality up to the main stem with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s righteous blessing.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
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Katie is kind of the queen of late-breaking news to important men in her life, but unlike Archie’s debacle with Sunny, Greg can very easily take back his intent to leave.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Western Placer Unified School District trustees voted Tuesday to name its new K-8 school in the Village 7 area of Liberty at Lincoln Liberty Point — with lions as the mascot, set to open in 2030-31.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
11 May 2026
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The ancient Persians, Babylonians, Syrians and Egyptians also drew comparisons between the stars of Leo and a mighty lion, according to the University of Chicago.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
9 May 2026
Noun
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Greek shipping tycoons, Morley said, may be intrigued by the glory of owning Onassis’s yacht; Middle Eastern oil magnates could have the means to buy a pricey piece of history.—
Michael Ballaban,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
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Sportico also reported Thursday that Indian steel magnate Aditya Mittal and former Boston Celtics control owner Wyc Grousbeck were teaming up for a bid.—
Scott Soshnick,
Sportico.com,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kahuna.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kahuna. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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