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
-
Only Amen Thompson averaged more paint points among non-bigs.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
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To maximize his strengths, the Thunder have surrounded Gilgeous-Alexander with strong outside shooting and pick-and-roll bigs.—
Mark Medina,
Forbes.com,
18 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
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Cruise's colleagues hail him as the king of holiday desserts.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
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Known as ‘the king of winter delicacies,’ fugu stands as a proud symbol of Japanese food culture.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
17 May 2026
Noun
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Pictured below moments after his red carpet appearance with Baptista, Cassel offers the gentlemanly arm to accompany the reigning queen of French cinema and his fellow cast member in Histoires Parallèles, Catherine Deneueve, to her seat.—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
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On display, there is a patchwork quilt the queen made out of her clothing to document her sentence.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Gilgeous-Alexander received the lion’s share of the first-place votes with 83.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
18 May 2026
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The reserve partnered with Zambia’s ministries of tourism and parks and wildlife to relocate the 7-year-old lions from a small enclosure at a Tanzanian tourist attraction.—
Catherine Garcia,
TheWeek,
18 May 2026
Noun
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Regardless of the ultimate outcome, neither tech magnate is likely to win in the court of public opinion, said University of California at Berkeley Law School professor Stavros Gadinis.—
Ashley Capoot,Lora Kolodny,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Kahuna.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kahuna. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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