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.
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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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Shop the top 50 picks below and save big now before the sales end this week.Kelsey Fredricks, People.com, 4 Dec. 2024
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But there are also several bigs who will be unrestricted free agents, including Brionna Jones, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, Brittney Griner, Nneka Ogwumike and Tina Charles who could start immediately.Ben Pickman, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Pace is essentially the heavy of the movie, playing the brutal chief hunter for the network airing the game shows and tasked by the producer with tracking down Powell’s character.Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Oct. 2024
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His heavies answered the call, putting on an impressive blocking scheme that freed Franklin quite often.Chris Hays, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Nov. 2024
Noun
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In both cases, the invaders found, hidden in a large room behind a hidden door, a stunning quantity of treasures representing the wealth of generations of kings.Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 5 Dec. 2024
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Under the terms of his HBO contract, he was not allowed to appear in another returning series, meaning his only option was to play Anglo-Saxon king Harold, who famously died on the battlefield in 1066 after being shot in the eye with an arrow.K.J. Yossman, Variety, 4 Dec. 2024
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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There was no telling what to expect from Margin Call director J. C. Chandor’s take on Kraven the Hunter, a Spider-Man rogue from the ‘60s best known for showing off his abs while sporting a vest fashioned out of a lion’s head.Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 13 Dec. 2024
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An archaeological excavation in Greece has revealed the remains of an ancient monumental building replete with marble lion sculptures and intriguing gold artifacts, among other finds.Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Ultimately, the pair separated after Callas began having an affair with Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis (Haluk Bilginer).Katie Mannion, People.com, 13 Dec. 2024
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But in typical Swift fashion, the pop superstar and music magnate didn’t release the book through any of the biggest publishing houses.CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 4 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Kahuna.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kahuna. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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