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

This, combined with pre-existing issues with FEMA – webs of red tape and a revolving door of guidance – contribute to a lack of efficiency plaguing the organization and fears of major delays to the recovery process, leaders say. —Briah Lumpkins, Charlotte Observer, 9 Sep. 2025

Instead of leaving workers to front costs, file claims, or forgo care altogether, RokketMed offers prepaid health cards, upfront pricing, and multilingual communication that cuts through red tape. —Chelsea Davis, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025

None of his decisions are about slashing bureaucratic red tape or privatizing parts of the state. —Russell Muirhead, Foreign Affairs, 5 Sep. 2025

A lot could also depend on how much red tape is involved when states design systems for reporting work or gathering documentation to apply for an exemption such as being medically frail, including those with a substance use disorder. —Chris Kenning, USA Today, 4 Sep. 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