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

All of them were issued summonses for disorderly conduct and released. — Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 25 Sep. 2026

Two men who were kicked out twice this year were arrested and charged with disrupting a meeting and disorderly conduct. — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2026

He was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, which were later dismissed. — Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 21 Sep. 2026

April Michelle Disspain was issued warrants for simple battery, disrupting or interfering with the operation of a public-school bus and disorderly conduct. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 18 Sep. 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.