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

Audits should not be seen as red tape but as a strategy for growth and building trust in your organization. —Peter Boolkah, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025

The bureaucratic red tape alone will cost millions of eligible people their coverage. —Toni Preckwinkle, Chicago Tribune, 21 May 2025

After gas prices surged to record highs in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, President Donald Trump has focused intensely on combating energy prices by promising to unleash domestic production, slash red tape and push OPEC to add supply. —Matt Egan, CNN Money, 20 May 2025

And thanks to a forthcoming digital nomad visa, long-term stays will soon be possible for remote workers seeking a slice of tropical life without the usual red tape. —Bailey Berg, AFAR Media, 16 May 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