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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
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
-
Michigan boasts two excellent bigs in Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
The other students find the burden of imperfect English heavy.—
Jesse Green,
New York Times,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The king of action production powered forward with Cliffhanger (1993), starring Stallone and directed by Renny Harlin, a stellar man vs. nature and man vs. his past thriller.—
Chris Yogerst,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Mar. 2025
-
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
-
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
-
THE TRENDSETTER Salt & Straw is the homecoming queen of ice cream in LA.—
Cole Kazdin,
Los Angeles Magazine,
14 July 2017
Noun
-
While European clubs enjoy the lion’s share of the wealth, the prize pot will provide big boosts to other participants too.—
Philip Buckingham,
New York Times,
26 Mar. 2025
-
Up until recently, Napa and Sonoma have received the lion’s share of wine tourism within the state.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
24 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
DeGeneres flipped another Montecito property—a five-bedroom, 10-bathroom compound—in February of last year to mining magnate Robert Friedland for $32 million.—
India Roby and Katie Schultz,
Architectural Digest,
27 Mar. 2025
-
The maid at Bizarre Bazaar magnate Zachary Beck’s estate?—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
13 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kahuna.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kahuna. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share