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

Mahan ran an anti-establishment campaign from the center after entering the race in late January, arguing Democrats needed to take on unions, slash red tape and emphasize accountability in state spending. —Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026

When the Fontainebleau faced local opposition and red tape earlier this year in its quest to build water slides on its pool deck, the hotel’s billionaire owner, Jeffrey Soffer, successfully lobbied for a change to state law. —Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 2 June 2026

Now is the time to reinvest in American production, cut red tape, and deliver the commonsense, bipartisan permitting reform mining needs. —Rich Nolan, Boston Herald, 1 June 2026

The move targeting red tape for doctors and families is part of the insurer's goal announced on May 5 to eliminate prior-approval requirements for 30% of health care services amid complaints that administrative tasks delay or deny people care. —Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 29 May 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