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

Chapman was charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct and resisting a police officer charges following a City Council meeting April 28. —Mike Nolan, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2025

Prior to that, Price was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, criminal mischief, and disorderly conduct following an argument in which Price reportedly locked Coleman out of their home and began trashing his belongings. —Ryan Coleman Published, EW.com, 8 July 2025

After speaking with witnesses and obtaining video evidence, police arrested the girl on suspicion of assault, disorderly conduct and curfew violation, the news release said. —Elena Santa Cruz, AZCentral.com, 8 July 2025

In the group is a 13-year-old charged with assault, disorderly conduct and inducing panic. —Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 8 July 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.