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

Between April 2023 and February 2024, the report says police logged 329 service calls and 26 arrests, including thefts, disorderly conduct and a death investigation. —Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 25 Nov. 2025

Woman charged in theft at Whole Hog A Hot Springs woman was arrested Saturday night on charges of theft and disorderly conduct, according to a Little Rock police arrest report. —arkansasonline.com, 24 Nov. 2025

According to Salt Lake County jail records obtained by , the musician was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, threat of violence and criminal trespassing. —Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Nov. 2025

It was then revealed that Snider had been arrested for an incident that occurred at Holy Cross Hospital where he was being treated for his injuries and was booked for disorderly conduct, Billboard reported earlier this month. —Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 15 Nov. 2025

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.