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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And though the Innere Stadt is where most tourists stay, Vienna isn’t rammed like Paris; there are plenty of Viennese out and about, especially at the neighborhood’s cultural heavyweights.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Apr. 2026
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There’s a new heavyweight ruling Pier 39 — and tourists can’t stop filming him.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Some bigs take longer to develop than others in their age group.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
28 Apr. 2026
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The Spurs pulled off a comeback win in the second half of Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead without Wembanyama; Luke Kornet started in his place, and rookie Carter Bryant had a successful run as the backup big.—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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However, on season 2 of Twin Peaks, the actress played Miss Jones, the right-hand woman for one of the series' heavies, Thomas Eckhardt (the late David Warner).—
Drew Mackie,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
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Laser writes energy circuits Unlike conventional energy storage devices that rely on synthetic materials and chemical-heavy processes, this method uses a natural substrate and a single-step fabrication process.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Eventually, Ding moves his bishop to a square where it can be trapped, and the game is over; Gukesh is the youngest outright world champion in history, the game’s new king.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Like 250 years The king has the serendipitous timing of arriving as the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence approaches.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Following tea with the king and queen in the White House Green room, the Trumps showed off the White House’s new beehive to the royal couple.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
In Washington, the king and queen will have a private tea with the Trumps and attend a garden party and a formal White House state dinner.—
Jill Lawless,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Knicks ran the lion’s share of their offense through Towns as an offensive hub at the top of the key or on the elbow.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
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This lion of winter answered in a roaring, 10-minute monologue to open his news conference.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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During his tenure at Daqo New Energy, the Chinese manufacturing magnate landed in hot water with the federal government multiple times over his links to the Chinese Communist Party’s repression of religious and ethnic minorities.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Apr. 2026
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Designed by architect Andreas Kriezis—who also transformed King Otto’s former palace into the Greek Parliament building on nearby Syntagma Square—it was commissioned by Dimitrios Kallimasiotis, a shipping magnate and politician, as his residence.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kahuna.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kahuna. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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