red tape

noun

: official routine or procedure marked by excessive complexity which results in delay or inaction

bureaucratic red tape

… enterprisers that show how people across the Nation are coping (or not coping) with such problems as unemployment, the budget deficit and Government red tape.

—John Weisman

… pompous officials (often lowly clerks) in love with red tape who delight in obstructing the expedition of what should be simple procedures.

—Norman W. Schur

Initial plans became irretrievably mired in the red tape of building permissions.

—Bella Pollen

Their plan is simple enough and none too glamorous: create a Web site to help people cut through red tape; i.e., pay for parking tickets and so on.

—Sarah Kerr

Examples of red tape in a Sentence

You would not believe the red tape involved in getting the required permits.

Recent Examples on the Web

States like California and cities like New York have recently passed legislation or made regulatory changes to allow builders to build homes faster with less regulatory red tape. —Dave Smith, Fortune, 11 Nov. 2025

Those who couldn’t abide all the delays and red tape have sold, in many cases for a fraction of what the land was worth, and in many cases to corporate entities. —Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025

Marczyk also said the move helps avoid the red tape and overhead costs of a new build-out. —Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 6 Nov. 2025

Public health efforts have been especially caught up in red tape, since many focus on populations bearing an unequal burden of death, disease and injury. —Amy Maxmen, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from the red tape formerly used to bind legal documents in England

First Known Use

1736, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for red tape

• agape
• escape
• landscape
• lenape
• reshape
• seascape
• soundscape
• ape
• cape
• crape
• crepe
• drape

Kids Definition

red tape

noun

: rules and regulations that waste people's time