cut red tape

verb

To reduce bureaucracy.

“This insurance company is an expert at cutting red tape to process your claim faster.”

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Meanings

verbcut red tape (third-person singular simple present cuts red tape, present participle cutting red tape, simple past and past participle cut red tape)

present singular third person cuts red tape · participle present cutting red tape

  1. USidiomaticTo reduce bureaucracy.

    This insurance company is an expert at cutting red tape to process your claim faster.

Origin

from cut "to remove" + red tape "excessive bureaucratic procedures"

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

cut red tape. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cut%20red%20tape

MLA

“cut red tape.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cut%20red%20tape. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cut red tape,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cut%20red%20tape.

Source: cut red tape on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.