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

He was charged with assault, criminal trespass, criminal threatening and disorderly conduct and released on bail. —Meriam Bouarrouj, NBC news, 19 Apr. 2026

In those previous incidents, charges were either not pursued by the Arlington County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, or were dismissed during the criminal proceedings in a handful of cases involving assault, disorderly conduct, drug possession, and possession of a fictitious identification card. —Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 19 Apr. 2026

Those who exhibit disorderly conduct may be removed from the beach and possibly arrested. —Irene Wright, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2026

Prior to that, LaBeouf was court-ordered to attend rehab following a 2017 arrest in Georgia for public intoxication and disorderly conduct. —Zack Sharf, Variety, 16 Apr. 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.