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

Both the juvenile and the 19-year-old who were arrested are facing felony assault and disorderly conduct charges, according to the police. —Jack Perry, The Providence Journal, 7 Feb. 2026

In a statement from the University of Minnesota, 11 of the protesters were arrested for disorderly conduct and one was arrested for property damage outside the Graduate By Hilton hotel off University Avenue in Stadium Village. —Wcco Staff, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026

In a statement, the university said 12 people were arrested in total — 11 for disorderly conduct and one for damage to property. —Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 6 Feb. 2026

The 18-year-old was also charged with simple assault, a misdemeanor and summary charges of harassment and disorderly conduct. —Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 5 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.