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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Example Sentences
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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
In Cantore’s experience, nothing compares to covering the big kahuna of 2005: Katrina.
—Nick Heil, Outside Online, 25 June 2013
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
See All Example Sentences for kahuna
Jj Kinahan, Forbes, 1 Aug. 2022
In Cantore’s experience, nothing compares to covering the big kahuna of 2005: Katrina.
—Nick Heil, Outside Online, 25 June 2013
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
See All Example Sentences for kahuna
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kahuna
Noun
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Michigan boasts two excellent bigs in Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Mar. 2025
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This game features three of the best bigs in college basketball, two of whom — Johni Broome and Danny Wolf — could be first-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft.—
Tobias Bass,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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And if nothing else, there’s always the heavies to fall back on.—
Sean T. Collins,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2025
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They’re supposed to be the reinforcements, the heavies, personally recruited by Quinn — a fugitive Army Intelligence Colonel! — and installed at Beck’s place, just like Paulie.—
Chris Klimek,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The people of Israel welcome Jesus as king while his disciples anticipate his crowning.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
30 Mar. 2025
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In the early 1980s, Chamberlain gained a reputation as the king of the miniseries for his starring roles in Shogun, The Thorn Birds and Wallenberg: A Hero’s Story.—
Paul Grein,
Billboard,
30 Mar. 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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Perhaps some exceptions are the lions that hail from a zoo in Ukraine.—
Sarah Matusek,
Christian Science Monitor,
4 Apr. 2025
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When a meteor unleashes a virus that turns zoo animals into zombies, a lion, a wolf, and other surviving animals scramble to the rescue.—
DeVonne Goode,
Parents,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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From cable television magnates to fashion moguls to casino bosses, these billionaires have passed away since the 2024 Forbes list.—
Roy Canivel,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
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The tech magnate’s swipe at Navarro comes after a report that indicated Trump told his inner circle that Musk will be stepping back from his role in the government in the coming weeks.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kahuna.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kahuna. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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