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

In particular, the officials have cited Mr. Belousov’s attempts to improve Russia’s drone production last year, by streamlining bureaucratic red tape. —Anatoly Kurmanaev, New York Times, 13 May 2024

Lavin approves of Johnson initiatives to explore cutting red tape for developers, forging ahead with the O’Hare’s revamp and converting LaSalle Street office space into housing with city subsidies. —A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 12 May 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