red tape

noun

1. excessive formality and routine required before official action can be taken.

red tape

noun

1. obstructive official routine or procedure; time-consuming bureaucracy

red tape

¹

1. Bureaucratic procedures that delay progress: “Paula had hoped to settle the inheritance quickly but got caught up in a lot of red tape.”

red tape

²

1. Administrative procedures, especially in a bureaucracy , that are marked by complexity and delay: “Red tape delayed his passport.”

Other Words From

• redtapism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of red tape¹

First recorded in 1730–40; after the red tape used to tie official documents

Word History and Origins

Origin of red tape¹

C18: from the red tape used to bind official government documents

Idioms and Phrases

Official forms and procedures, especially those that are complex and time-consuming. For example, There's so much red tape involved in approving our remodeling that we're tempted to postpone it indefinitely . This expression alludes to the former British custom of tying up official documents with red ribbon. [Early 1800s]

Example Sentences

Oak Flat translates this aggravating world of red tape and tedium into a thoughtful, often beautiful, and deeply human story.

From Outside Online

In France, administrative red tape and a lack of nursing home staff hobbled the early days of the vaccine campaign.

From Fortune

From giving tax incentives to promising lower red tape and even freeing up industrial land “twice the size of Luxembourg,” the Modi government has made the “Make in India” initiative a cornerstone of its policymaking.

From Quartz

On housing, it’s basically a checklist of policies he went on to implement – densifying neighborhoods, cutting red tape, streamlining approval processes.

From Voice of San Diego

If convalescent plasma works, the EUA could save thousands of lives without regulatory red tape.

From Quartz

A yellow hazardous material bin placed out on the lawn, just beyond some red tape reading “Danger Do Not Enter,” left no doubt.

From The Daily Beast

Sadly, its most notable achievement is to add layers of red tape and busywork to our already bureaucracy-heavy prison system.

From The Daily Beast

Oversight on top of oversight and red tape on top of red tape, Christie said, was the real enemy.

From The Daily Beast

But Rogers said the new policy is instead a new level of red tape that has paralyzed the U.S. military and intelligence community.

From The Daily Beast

The abortion battleground is becoming a fight over reams of red tape.

From The Daily Beast

He gets out and does things while these fatheads stay in quarters and untangle red tape.

From Project Gutenberg

Black Hood knew what it was to be a policeman with hands bound by red tape or political intrigue.

From Project Gutenberg

Even for doctors to obtain it is an undertaking involving considerable red tape.

From Project Gutenberg

They are such illogical fools; a logical fool in an office, with a lot of red tape, is conceivable.

From Project Gutenberg

If it's an ordinary government deal, you know how many light-years of red tape are involved.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bureaucracy