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

Cut the red tape to start rebuilding. —Teresa Liu, Daily News, 4 May 2026

The obvious and best way to create more housing for renters and low-income homebuyers is to cut red tape and incentivize construction while reducing the wasteful spending and consultant payouts that drive costs up. —Linh Tat, Oc Register, 4 May 2026

Landlords said rental assistance never fully compensated them for their losses, contending programs were often mired in red tape and poorly run. —Michael Casey, Fortune, 3 May 2026

That means cutting taxes, clearing out red tape, and letting California build again. —Steve Hilton, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 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