red tape synonyms

red tape

n.

  1. Delay

    wait, inaction, roadblock, holdup; see impediment 1.

  2. Bureaucracy

    officialism, paperwork, inflexible routine, officialdom; see bureaucracy 1, 2.

Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.