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

Democrats say the law’s Medicaid work requirements will create red tape that leads to people losing their coverage. —John Wilkerson, STAT, 28 Apr. 2026

Bass, who is in a tough race for reelection, hailed the increase as a sign that local efforts to cut red tape are paying off. —Gene Maddaus, Variety, 28 Apr. 2026

Everyone loves to hate red tape, but the truth is that the process required in government can be very valuable. —David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026

The former mayor argues the state can play a role in boosting housing production by cutting red tape and overhauling the California Environmental Quality Act. —Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 26 Apr. 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