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

He was booked on misdemeanor counts of alcohol intoxication, disorderly conduct and terroristic threatening. —Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 7 June 2025

The 41-year-old was charged with public intoxication, disorderly conduct and assaulting a police officer, according to Kenton County Jail records. —Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 7 June 2025

She was charged with multiple misdemeanors, including obstruction of legal process with force, assault, disorderly conduct and interference with flight operations, according to court documents. —Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 5 June 2025

Nothing was damaged and there were only five arrests for disorderly conduct, according to a law enforcement officials. —Mark Morales, CNN Money, 29 May 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.