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

Those charges, accusing the student of threats and disorderly conduct, would be submitted to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office for review, according to the release. —Helen Rummel, AZCentral.com, 17 Dec. 2025

Wright is facing several charges, including criminal trespass, simple assault, disorderly conduct, defiant trespass and harassment. —Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Newsweek that Nevarez-Porras, a Mexican national, had a criminal history that included battery, assault, criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct. —Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025

Authorities issued both parties a court summons for disorderly conduct. —Frederick Dreier, Outside, 6 Dec. 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.