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View synonyms for

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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.”
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Other Word Forms

  • ti noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of red tape1

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

Origin of red tape1

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

Examples have not been reviewed.

Zeldin and other Trump administration officials say rolling back these environmental protections will save taxpayers money and reduce red tape that is hampering energy independence.

From

Others wondered whether it was a grand conspiracy by someone who wanted the trees down but didn’t want to go through the red tape of city bureaucracy.

From

Bass, as part of her effort to reduce homelessness, has cut red tape for certain types of affordable housing projects.

From

On housing, Poilievre vowed to cut taxes and red tape that he says act as a barrier to home building.

From

The word is that the UK and EU would like a "high ambition-high alignment" reset that rids food and farm exports of most red tape.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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