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

Fry has been arrested more than two dozen times since 2003, on a range of offenses including assault, burglary, driving with an invalid license, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, according to court records. —Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Mar. 2026

Previous charges include assault causing bodily injury, disorderly conduct, possession of alcohol by a minor, public intoxication, burglary of a habitation, theft of property, terroristic threat, driving while license invalid, criminal mischief, and resisting arrest. —Doug Myers, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026

Charges could include inciting to riot, disorderly conduct, criminal trespass, and obstruction of a law enforcement officer. —Irene Wright, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026

Prior to that, LaBeouf was court-ordered to attend rehab following a 2017 arrest in Georgia for public intoxication and disorderly conduct. —Zack Sharf, Variety, 20 Mar. 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.