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
The ISM Manufacturing Index kicks things off today with plenty of more data over the coming days, anchored by the big kahuna, Friday’s employment situation report for July.
—
Jj Kinahan, Forbes, 1 Aug. 2022
But the big kahuna is still to come, as the company finally confirmed that the Supra is officially getting a manual transmission.
—Joey Capparella, Car and Driver, 15 Apr. 2022
The big kahuna of their SoCal tour-within-a-tour this week is Wednesday night’s show at Crypto.com Arena, a venue that’s seven miles and about 43 years from the Masque, where the earliest incarnation of the group started out as a punk group.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 30 Mar. 2022
And the big kahuna of them all, the Oscars, are just around the corner.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 22 Dec. 2021
See All Example Sentences for kahuna
Jj Kinahan, Forbes, 1 Aug. 2022
But the big kahuna is still to come, as the company finally confirmed that the Supra is officially getting a manual transmission.
—Joey Capparella, Car and Driver, 15 Apr. 2022
The big kahuna of their SoCal tour-within-a-tour this week is Wednesday night’s show at Crypto.com Arena, a venue that’s seven miles and about 43 years from the Masque, where the earliest incarnation of the group started out as a punk group.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 30 Mar. 2022
And the big kahuna of them all, the Oscars, are just around the corner.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 22 Dec. 2021
See All Example Sentences for kahuna
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kahuna
Noun
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All season long, New York has struggled to contain stretch bigs.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
21 May 2025
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In his absence, Kornet dominated the paint, finally tilting the floor back toward the Celtics when the Knicks deployed two bigs; a lineup that had been dogging Boston in this series.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
15 May 2025
Noun
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Gabriel Byrne’s new heavy, the Chancellor, hisses to Castañeda’s doomed daddy as Eve watches in horror.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2025
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At the same time, more of Richie's heavies arrive at the safe house.—
Matt Cabral,
EW.com,
1 June 2025
Noun
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The ocean suites are laid out with a king bed and a large living room that opens to a generous porch with a daybed.—
Christopher Cameron,
Robb Report,
30 May 2025
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However, mattress brands in this list offer sizes ranging from twin XL to California king.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
30 May 2025
Noun
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While Jon is bound to leadership by a sense of duty, Daenerys sees herself as a liberator, a queen steeped in moral righteousness who freed slaves across the sea for the greater good.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
14 July 2017
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THE TRENDSETTER Salt & Straw is the homecoming queen of ice cream in LA.—
Cole Kazdin,
Los Angeles Magazine,
14 July 2017
Noun
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Mademoiselle Chanel’s lion mascot (a favorite of the designer, thanks to her astrological sign, Leo) was present in a collar necklace flanked on either side by two felines with diamonds that cascaded down the chest.—
Paige Reddinger,
Robb Report,
5 June 2025
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Related Articles While these designers might be looking to adolescence — from drawing on upbringings spent among lions and tigers in South Africa to fighting against the constrictions of adulthood by refusing to grow up — there’s no Peter Pan syndrome here.—
Violet Goldstone,
Footwear News,
5 June 2025
Noun
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The brand is a jewel in the crown of luxury magnate Bernard Arnault, the founder of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, who has owned Dior since 1984.—
Joelle Diderich,
Footwear News,
29 May 2025
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But the character is more of a riff on the real-life oil baron Calouste Gulbenkian, the world’s richest man at the time of his death in 1955 and a template for today’s globe-roaming magnates who pledge allegiance only to their own ambitions.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kahuna.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kahuna. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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