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
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
Norman W. SchurInitial plans became irretrievably mired in the red tape of building permissions.—Bella Pollen
Bella PollenTheir 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
Sarah KerrExamples of red tape in a Sentence
You would not believe the red tape involved in getting the required permits.
Recent Examples on the Web
Despite the gloomy overtones, Loznitsa’s powerful movie asserts that goodness hides within the confines of institutional control, worming its way through the boundaries of bureaucratic red tape in an effort to do some good.
—Eric Kohn, HollywoodReporter, 30 May 2025
Some organizations make decisions at warp speed, cutting through red tape like a hot knife through butter.
—Toyna Chin, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
And the reporting demands that come with work requirements are often laden with enough red tape to potentially cause recipients to lose their benefits, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 28 May 2025
The agency harasses the middle class, politically targets opponents and permits bureaucrats to drown taxpayers in a blight of red tape.
—Chuck Flint, Boston Herald, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for red tape
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Eric Kohn, HollywoodReporter, 30 May 2025
Some organizations make decisions at warp speed, cutting through red tape like a hot knife through butter.
—Toyna Chin, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
And the reporting demands that come with work requirements are often laden with enough red tape to potentially cause recipients to lose their benefits, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 28 May 2025
The agency harasses the middle class, politically targets opponents and permits bureaucrats to drown taxpayers in a blight of red tape.
—Chuck Flint, Boston Herald, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for red tape
Cite this Entry
“Red tape.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/red%20tape. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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