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

For instance, cutting through government red tape, speeds up small business lending and reduces costs. —Rohit Arora, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

Years of red tape, underinvestment in modernizing infrastructure, and climbing costs have left the country to play catch-up with other advanced economies. —Samuel Burke, Fortune Europe, 29 Oct. 2024

Garber noted that many of these restrictions were created with the intent of streamlining the election process, but ultimately added layers of red tape. —Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2024

India’s tougher vetting of all Chinese investment after the clashes effectively turned away billions of dollars from the likes of carmakers BYD and Great Wall Motor, and added more red tape in Indian companies’ interactions with Chinese stakeholders. —Reuters, NBC News, 22 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from the red tape formerly used to bind legal documents in England

First Known Use

1736, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

red tape

noun

: rules and regulations that waste people's time