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

It’s commonly seen as too loud, too expensive, too unhealthy, too environmentally unfriendly, and an unnecessary eyesore that requires a lot of red tape between landlords and city permits to procure. — Morgan Simon, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

One of the greatest frustrations in emergency management is knowing exactly what needs to be done, then watching unnecessary red tape delay action for years. — Ruben Grijalva, Oc Register, 1 Aug. 2026

The most accessible citizenship-by-investment programs are generally found in the Caribbean, where the schemes come with relatively low investment thresholds and comparatively less red tape. — Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 July 2026

Thanks to warring record labels of the ’90s and industry red tape, the Cinderella album has been lost to time. — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 29 July 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