kahuna

noun

ka·​hu·​na kə-ˈhü-nə How to pronounce kahuna (audio)
1
: a preeminent person or thing : big gun
the industry's big kahuna, with … 57 percent of the marketA. E. Serwer
2
: a Hawaiian shaman

Examples of kahuna in a Sentence

a big kahuna at a Hollywood talent agency, he's got the fancy car to prove it
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
This has to be a big kahuna, among records Swift could break that go back to the very beginning of the album chart. Chris Willman, Variety, 19 June 2024 The big kahuna, Photoshop itself, costs a minimum of $9.99 per month, but that subscription also includes Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, and 20GB of cloud storage. PCMAG, 10 May 2024 Today may not be your actual filing deadline: Yes, April 15 is the big kahuna of tax-filing deadlines for most people. Jeanne Sahadi, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024 The Rebate Project, though, is the big kahuna. Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2021 See all Example Sentences for kahuna 

Word History

Etymology

Hawaiian

First Known Use

1875, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of kahuna was in 1875

Dictionary Entries Near kahuna

Cite this Entry

“Kahuna.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kahuna. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!