disorderly conduct

noun

: a petty offense chiefly against public order and decency that falls short of an indictable misdemeanor

Examples of disorderly conduct in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In an earlier incident, LaBeouf was ordered by a court to attend rehab after his 2017 arrest in Georgia on charges of public intoxication and disorderly conduct. —Michaela Zee, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026

His mother was charged with simple assault and battery and disorderly conduct, though the case was later dismissed, court records show. —Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 18 Feb. 2026

He was arrested for disorderly conduct in 1989, indecent exposure in 1996 and larceny in 2005. —Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 18 Feb. 2026

Following LaBeouf's allegedly disorderly conduct at a local business, a staff member attempted to remove the actor from the establishment, New Orleans police confirmed to USA TODAY. —Edward Segarra, USA Today, 17 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1786, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for disorderly conduct

• abduct
• construct
• deduct
• destruct
• induct
• instruct
• obstruct
• aqueduct
• deconstruct
• reconstruct
• bucked
• chucked

Legal Definition

disorderly conduct

noun

dis·​or·​der·​ly conduct

: conduct that is likely to lead to a disturbance of the public peace or that offends public decency

also : the petty offense of engaging in disorderly conduct compare breach of the peace

Note: The term disorderly conduct is used in statutes to identify various acts against the public peace. It has been held to include the use of obscene language in public, the blocking of public ways, and the making of threats. A statute must identify acts that constitute disorderly conduct with sufficient clarity in order to avoid being held unconstitutional because of vagueness.