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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Ceremonial looks channel national heritage through the lens of major designers and iconic brands—Ralph Lauren, Emporio Armani, and Moncler—while performance gear from heavyweights like Adidas and Lululemon has been engineered for the challenges of ice, altitude, and speed.—
Christina Pérez,
Vogue,
3 Feb. 2026
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Miller was supposed to fight at the arena against then-heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in 2019 but failed a drug test.—
Isabel Yip,
NBC news,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Fears has mastered the hostage dribble, pinning his defender in front of him and then waiting for his big to run back in front of him and take out the rim protector.—
CJ Moore,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Booker stood up to the Boilermakers’ bigs, blocking three shots of his own, playing a season-high 35 minutes three days after being iced out of the rotation against the Buckeyes.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Paramount executive also became president of the American Motion Picture Association (precursor to the MPA) in 1925, beating out the likes of Marcus Loew, Lasky, William Fox, Hays, Sam Rothafel, Sam Katz, Carl Laemmle, Joseph Schenck, and other Hollywood heavies.—
Chris Yogerst,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Jan. 2026
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The Dark Ages gave us an extremely metal prequel that — while a bit too lore and cutscene-heavy — presented more surprising tricks and gameplay refreshes to keep the long-running FPS series alive and kicking butt.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
26 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Here for a romantic getaway, my husband and I stayed in the luxurious Kalinago king suite overlooking the ocean, with a private patio perfect for just-the-two-of-us lounging.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Professional sports are king in Dallas, the home of the Cowboys, Stars, Mavericks, Wings, and FC Dallas, among others.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
She is called the queen of Cortina, and the Olympia delle Tofana is a course that had always suited Vonn.—
ANDREW DAMPF,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
-
With 89 total rooms, options range from deluxe king rooms to double queens—both featuring accessible mobility and hearing options—as well as a family-style room with multiple semi-private sleeping areas for those traveling in a group.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Early Friday morning, the president of the United States shared on his social media account a foul video that portrayed former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama as apes and himself as a lion.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
7 Feb. 2026
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Suddenly the lion turned and paced along the open side of the jeep, about three feet from where Leo and I were sitting.—
Flora Stubbs,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The host of 'Catching the Codfather' explains why his new podcast about a notorious fishing magnate is really about regulation, science, and the American dream.—
Abigail Wise,
Outside,
13 Feb. 2026
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Casino magnate Neil Bluhm and his family’s foundation are donating another $50 million to Northwestern Medicine to further expand and support cardiac care.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kahuna.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kahuna. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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