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

At a debate in May, Councilmember Nithya Raman accused Bass of failing to cut red tape. —Gene Maddaus, Variety, 16 June 2026

The mayor said this would entail supporting growing commercial corridors for small-business districts, while cutting down red tape and providing incentives for employers to locate in San Jose. —Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 12 June 2026

Empower your people to fix problems quickly without red tape. —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026

Biggs and other Western congressmen cite bureaucratic red tape, in addition to the rising cost of supplies and the environmental pressure of drought for pressures on America’s livestock producers. —Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 10 June 2026

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