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
  • Few Brazilian political heavyweights were in attendance, in another sign of his troubles forming an alliance against Lula ahead of the October election.
    — Mauricio Savarese, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2026
  • Few Brazilian political heavyweights were in attendance, in another sign of his troubles forming an alliance against Lula ahead of the October election .
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 July 2026
Definition of heavyweight
Noun
  • That gives Okot more opportunities to develop alongside the second unit with Naz Hillmon while learning to play alongside both veteran bigs.
    — Micahya Costen, AJC.com, 28 July 2026
  • Jones, youngsters shine Score one for the bigs — after a decade-long drought of All-Star MVPs, frontcourt players have won back-to-back.
    — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 28 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
  • Staterooms are boutique-hotel luxurious, featuring king beds and private balconies for sunrise coffees.
    — Stephanie Orma, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • And the wandering king’s son and heir, Telemachus (Tom Holland), is convinced his father is still alive and sets off to find him.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of king
Noun
  • The stay itself is deeply luxurious—no bedroom offers anything smaller than a queen bed.
    — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 29 July 2026
  • Scooby-Doo’s bag that opens to a pocket universe and is capable of storing an infinite amount of things, including refrigerators, giant sandwiches, and entire sets of flatware that belonged to the late queen?
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 29 July 2026
Definition of queen
Noun
  • So the king and the lion are always where they are supposed to be.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Aaron chooses Anna as his rival; Anna chooses the lion as their muse.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 31 July 2026
Definition of lion
Noun
  • But the great-grandson became wealthy in his own right as a magnate and pioneer in the New York hotel industry.
    — Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
  • Miriam Adelson, the widow of the Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, and Diane Hendricks, a major conservative donor in Wisconsin, each gave $25 million.
    — Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 22 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 3 Aug. 2026.

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