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 2022, Miller faced accusations of assault, abuse, and grooming children, and was subject of arrest for disorderly conduct, which led to a string of subsequent arrests, often following physical altercations. —Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 23 June 2025

Charges included disorderly conduct in a public place and trespassing in an occupied structure or conveyance. —Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 12 June 2025

The judge noted that though Morales Reyes had several arrests from 1996, he was only convicted of disorderly conduct. —Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 10 June 2025

Jones accepted a plea deal and entered a guilty plea to one count of disorderly conduct, per Cincinnati outlet WCPO. —Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 7 June 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.