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 July, the manager of the Marathon facility faced a criminal trial, charged by the State of Texas with disorderly conduct on the basis of Shirley’s sound readings. —Joel Khalili, WIRED, 11 Sep. 2024

The four students face charges on suspicion of threatening and disorderly conduct, class 1 misdemeanors that are being filed with the Maricopa County Juvenile Court, police said in a news release. —Shawn Raymundo, The Arizona Republic, 4 Oct. 2024

The other driver was caught by Rhinelander police and charged with disorderly conduct. —Frank Vaisvilas, Journal Sentinel, 2 Oct. 2024

Denise Hatch was booked in Marion County jail Wednesday on preliminary charges of disorderly conduct and official misconduct stemming from an altercation with a Center Township trustee on Sept. 24. —Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 2 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1786, in the meaning defined above

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.