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

The man could face charges including disorderly conduct (a non‑criminal offense for intentionally or recklessly creating public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm), trespass or reckless endangerment. —Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025

On April 1, prosecutors dropped the child neglect charge against Anderson and charged her with disorderly conduct and disorderly intoxication, which are both misdemeanors, WESH reports. —Kc Baker, People.com, 21 Apr. 2025

Osment, 37, was charged with disorderly conduct and possession of cocaine, both misdemeanors, according to a statement from the Mono County District Attorney. —Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 18 Apr. 2025

However, an arrest for an unrelated offense (e.g., disorderly conduct at a personal event) may not justify employer action. —Johnny C. Taylor Jr., USA Today, 1 Apr. 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.