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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Boost from the bigs Jonathan Isaac and Wendell Carter Jr. were aggressive on offense from the jump.Jason Beede, Orlando Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2025
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In Broome, Auburn has one of the most skilled bigs in the country.Brendan Marks, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Not without consequence, of course, and not just from New York heavies—in his years of flouting the conventions of etiquette in the bush, around animals, whether while making images or just out wandering, Peter was not entirely unscathed.Chris Wallace, Vogue, 17 Dec. 2024
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But at six-foot-two, with the big, square features and the theatrical presence of a human monolith, Chen looks as well as buzzes like the authority figures and heavies that are a star basso’s ticket to the really big time.airmail.news, airmail.news, 7 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The king of TDs at a position should be the No. 1 pick at the position.Michael Salfino, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
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Donald Trump: Comeback king Fortunes have truly reversed for former president turned President-elect Trump.Savannah Kuchar, USA TODAY, 5 Jan. 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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This included the long runway for AI accelerators – AMD’s executives forecast the market to reach $400 billion by 2027 – with Nvidia taking the lion’s share.Beth Kindig, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
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The festivities will also include lion dances and an ao dai fashion show.Christine Clarridge, Axios, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The Big Story Elon Musk’s growing influence over Trump, D.C. The tech magnate, who once largely eschewed politics, now has a political clout of his own to throw around as President-elect Trump heads back to the Oval Office.Julia Shapero, The Hill, 14 Jan. 2025
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The shipping magnate — who also owns Olympiacos in Piraeus, Athens — brought the case against Irini Karipidis, chairperson of rival club Aris Thessaloniki, and three other claimants, including Ari Harow, formerly the chief of staff to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Kevin Coulson, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Kahuna.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kahuna. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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