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

On the campaign trail, Hilton has vowed to cut gas prices to $3 a gallon, eliminate taxes on the first $100,000 of income and cut red tape. —Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 9 June 2026

While Keiko has been offering to attract more foreign investment by cutting red tape, Sánchez initially promised to nationalize large sectors of the economy and to replace imports with local production — an economic policy reminiscent of Cuba or North Korea. —Simeon Tegel, NPR, 6 June 2026

The event is free and open to the public through the tournament, with no pre-registration, red tape or RSVPs required. —Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 6 June 2026

A lot of red tape with lawyers? —Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 4 June 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