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

McGrath's family dismissed the arguments as more legal wrangling following 31 years of appeals and red tape. —Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 25 June 2025

While there may be obstacles and red tape, Maluach’s path to the NBA is certainly navigable. —Matias Grez, CNN Money, 25 June 2025

Regulatory complexity, recruitment difficulties, and institutional red tape have created barriers that slow the translation of scientific discoveries into life-saving treatments. —Greg Licholai Md, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025

Cozy public union relationships, layers of government overreach and red tape have put Californians in a hole. —John Hart, Oc Register, 25 June 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