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

Indonesia plans to increase its domestic fuel production and others in the region, like the Philippines, are cutting red tape to entice fuel developers. —ABC News, 16 Feb. 2026

This leads to higher prices for consumers, lost jobs, more red tape for current and would-be job creators and, of course, no measurable effect on even the East Coast climate, much less globally. —Justin Ready, Baltimore Sun, 15 Feb. 2026

Cut red tape on permitting, unleash private energy innovation, and prioritize natural gas, oil, and nuclear over unreliable mandates. —Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026

Easing zoning and permitting rules Many housing experts point to local zoning and red tape as the root of the slowdown in homebuilding — something that is difficult for the federal government to address, since each local government makes its own rules. —Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 8 Feb. 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