Meanings
noungreen tape (uncountable)
- derogatoryuncountableTime-consuming bureaucratic procedures or regulations relating to environmental concerns.
“We were bitterly disappointed with the pull back on the green tape reduction and we felt the federal government had been held hostage by the Greens for their electoral fortunes,” Mr Nicholls told The Australian Financial Review.
Australian Financial Review, January 14, 2013
Origin
From green (“environmentally friendly”) and red tape (“bureaucratic regulations”).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
green tape. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/green%20tape
MLA
“green tape.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/green%20tape. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “green tape,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/green%20tape.
Source: green tape on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.