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, Vice President Kamala Harris proposed a plan that would cut the red tape to construct homes rapidly. —Elaine Mallon, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Nov. 2024

Trump announced plans to appoint Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a Department of Government Efficiency aimed at cutting bureaucracy and red tape. —Amanda Castro, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024

This culture gap erodes experimentation, stifles agility and bogs down teams in red tape. —Andrea Ruskin, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024

Its current state is a culmination of many problems—from red tape impeding business to lackluster demand recovery stunting the growth of its key industries. —Samuel Burke, Fortune Europe, 29 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