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As policymakers, we need to foster an environment that allows U.S.-based innovators and entrepreneurs to compete and to flourish. Excessive regulations and bureaucratic red tape dramatically increase the cost of doing business and create uncertainty for companies.
Ralph Hall

Meaning of "red tape" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD RED TAPE

From the red tape used to bind official government documents.
info
Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF RED TAPE

red tape play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF RED TAPE

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Red tape is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES RED TAPE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

red tape

Red tape

Red tape is an idiom that refers to excessive regulation or rigid conformity to formal rules that is considered redundant or bureaucratic and hinders or prevents action or decision-making. It is usually applied to governments, corporations, and other large organizations. One definition is the "collection or sequence of forms and procedures required to gain bureaucratic approval for something, especially when oppressively complex and time-consuming". Another definition is the "bureaucratic practice of hair splitting or foot dragging, blamed by its practitioners on the system that forces them to follow prescribed procedures to the letter". Red tape generally includes filling out paperwork, obtaining licenses, having multiple people or committees approve a decision and various low-level rules that make conducting one's affairs slower, more difficult, or both. Red tape can also include "filing and certification requirements, reporting, investigation, inspection and enforcement practices, and procedures".

Definition of red tape in the English dictionary

The definition of red tape in the dictionary is obstructive official routine or procedure; time-consuming bureaucracy.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE RED TAPE

red salmon
red sandalwood
Red Sea
red sea bream
red seaweed
red setter
red shank
red snapper
red spider
red spider mite
Red Spot
Red Square
red squirrel
red tea tree
red tide
Red Tory
red underwing
red water
red whortleberry
red wine

WORDS THAT END LIKE RED TAPE

adhesive tape
cassette tape
correction tape
demo tape
digital audio tape
duct tape
gaffer tape
grip tape
insulating tape
magnetic tape
masking tape
master tape
measuring tape
mix tape
paper tape
Scotch tape
steel tape
sticky tape
tape
ticker tape
video tape

Synonyms and antonyms of red tape in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «RED TAPE»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «red tape» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of red tape

Translation of «red tape» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF RED TAPE

Find out the translation of red tape to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of red tape from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «red tape» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

繁文缛节
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

trámites
570 millions of speakers

English

red tape
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

लालफीताशाही
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

الروتين
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

волокита
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

papelada
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

লাল ফিতা
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

bureaucratie
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Pita merah
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Bürokratie
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

お役所仕事
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

불필요한 요식
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Red tape
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

liêu
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

சிவப்பு நாடா
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

लाल फित
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Kırmızı bant
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

trafila
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

biurokracja
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

тяганина
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

birocrație
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

γραφειοκρατίας
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

rompslomp
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

byråkrati
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

byråkrati
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of red tape

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «RED TAPE»

The term «red tape» is quite widely used and occupies the 28.363 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Quite widely used
87
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «red tape» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of red tape
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «red tape».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «RED TAPE» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «red tape» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «red tape» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about red tape

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «RED TAPE»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word red tape.
1
Roy Barnes
The First Amendment rejects red tape, cover-up and double-speak.
2
Vince Cable
My job is to support businesses, that means promoting British commerce in the big emerging markets that have been neglected in the past. It means keeping Britain open to inward investors, trade and skilled workers. It means cutting red tape which is suffocating growing companies which create jobs.
3
Corey Clark
In order for me to get through all the red tape and just allow people to just get at my talent, I've got to set the record straight. And you can't set half the record straight; when you tell it, you've got to tell it all.
4
Charlie Daniels
We can get rid of red tape.
5
Geoff Davis
The sooner we rein in the red tape factory in Washington, D.C., the sooner small businesses can get back to creating jobs and helping more Americans find an honest day's work.
6
Geoff Davis
You know that I am living proof that the American Dream is real. Growing up, our congressman cut through government bureaucratic red tape to help my mom buy our first house. That's the kind of congressman I'll be.
7
Zac Goldsmith
While big business gain subsidies and political access, small businesses drown in red tape, and individuals now risk being classified as terrorists for complaining about it. Economic globalisation is about homogenising differences in the worlds' markets, cultures, tastes and traditions. It's about giving big business access to a global market.
8
Kay Hagan
We in Congress need to do everything possible to encourage and cultivate small businesses, so that they can expand and create jobs. Far too often, however, U.S. small businesses are impeded by government paperwork and bureaucratic red tape.
9
Ralph Hall
As policymakers, we need to foster an environment that allows U.S.-based innovators and entrepreneurs to compete and to flourish. Excessive regulations and bureaucratic red tape dramatically increase the cost of doing business and create uncertainty for companies.
10
Bobby Jindal
Unfortunately, we are finding the bureaucratic inefficiencies and red tape have a tendency to slow the efforts of individuals and communities working to rebuild.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «RED TAPE»

Discover the use of red tape in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to red tape and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Red Tape: Bureaucracy, Structural Violence, and Poverty in India
DIVExamining the chronic, widespread poverty in India, the world's fourth largest economy, Akhil Gupta theorizes the relation between the state in India and the poor as one of structural violence./div
Akhil Gupta, 2012
2
Rules and Red Tape: A Prism for Public Administration Theory ...
Co-authors Barry Bozeman and Mary Feeney have fundamentally reworked and extended the previous book, and include new chapters that review and integrate the recent work on red tape research that has burgeoned in the fields of public ...
Barry Bozeman, Mary K. Feeney, 2011
3
Red Tape, Its Origins, Uses, and Abuses
In this book, Kaufman attempts a detached examination of the subject to find out why something so universally detested flourishes so widely and enjoys such powers of endurance.
Herbert Kaufman
4
Bureaucracy and Red Tape
Focusing on red tape, bureaucratic control, and accountability, this insightful and proactive guide combines original explanations of bureaucratic red tape with prescription and case examples--challenging readers to move beyond surface ...
Barry Bozeman, 2000
5
Red Tape and White Knuckles: One Woman's Motorcycle ...
Colourful and hilarious, Red Tape and White Knuckles is an action-packed tale about following your dreams that will have you packing your bags and jetting off into the sunset on your own adventure before you know it.
Lois Pryce, 2009
6
Amusing Anecdotes on Indian Red Tape
Do you know how babudom runs in this country?The book presents a humorous, yet realistic account, by one who has seen it all from inside.Funny, yet objective, account by a senior bureaucrat, the book contains 240 engrossing anecdotes on ...
Barun Kumar Sahu, 2002
7
Red Tape
2013 Beach Book Festival Honorable Mention 2013 Readers' Favorite International Book Awards Finalist What do you get when you combine a mystery with a touch of comedy and a pinch of romance? Red Tape. A little something for everyone!
Michele Lynn Seigfried, 2013
8
Red tape holds up new bridge, and more flubs from the ...
Gathers misspellings, unintentional puns, and incorrect captions from American newspaper headlines
Gloria Cooper, 1987
9
Government 2.0: Using Technology to Improve Education, Cut ...
' This book is proactive in nature (see what these governments are really doing), does not call for a wholesale and costly transformation, and employs a subtle shaming of those governments that have not yet joined the 21st century.
William D. Eggers, 2007
10
Red tape: adventure capitalism in the new Russia
There is everything, in short, to make Red Tape stand alone as the essential guide to making dollars and sense out of Russia today.
Bill Thomas, Charles Sutherland, 1992

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «RED TAPE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term red tape is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Rinehart travels to India to throw the book at red tape in Australia
Mining billionaire Gina Rinehart has praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his approach to cutting red tape, arguing Australia has become a nation ... «The Australian, Jun 15»
2
Red tape weddings: Rhode Island couples get bills passed to use …
Anyone who wants to get married in Rhode Island by a nontraditional officiant needs an act of the legislature to do it. It's an unusual piece of red tape that's dealt ... «Minneapolis Star Tribune, Jun 15»
3
European Commission moves to cut red tape by overhauling rule …
Eurosceptics across the continent cite red tape as an example of bureaucratic waste. That is now also the view in Brussels where officials have moved to ... «The Independent, May 15»
4
Tories vow to slash 'burdensome' red tape for business by £10bn
The new business secretary Sajid Javid is to pledge to cut red tape for companies by at least £10bn during the current parliament as he announces details of the ... «The Guardian, May 15»
5
Government says cuts to red tape have saved $2.5 billion
The Federal Government says new cuts to red tape it will announce today will take its total savings in compliance costs since coming to Government to nearly ... «ABC Online, Mar 15»
6
Tories to cut £10billion of red tape
British businesses will save an average of £2,000 by the end of the next Parliament under ambitious Conservative plans to cut the red tape that can “mean the ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Feb 15»
7
Red tape killing small business
... to be done to reduce red tape for Canada's small businesses. Thinkstock/GettyMore needs to be done to reduce red tape for Canada's small businesses. «Financial Post, Jan 15»
8
Cameron 'fails' on vow to cut business red tape
David Cameron has “comprehensively failed” to keep his promise to cut the burden of red tape on Britain's businesses, according to a new analysis. «Financial Times, Dec 14»
9
Red tape ruins Joe Hockey's pizza
The Abbott government is holding its second "red tape repeal day" on Wednesday, with plans to repeal nearly 1000 pieces of legislation and regulation to bring ... «Sydney Morning Herald, Oct 14»
10
Businesses burying themselves in billions of dollars in red tape
Australian companies are drowning in their own red tape, wasting valuable hours of employee time and costing the economy billions of dollars. In what it ... «Sydney Morning Herald, Oct 14»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Red tape [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/red-tape>. May 2024 ».
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