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

Arrests for retail theft and disorderly conduct have also grown this year. —Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 16 May 2025

Ayden Williams was charged with third-degree assault on an elderly victim and disorderly conduct. —Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 7 May 2025

In 2022, Helmar was previously convicted of disorderly conduct for brawling, a misdemeanor, court records indicate. —Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 4 May 2025

Prior to that, Wallen made headlines with a 2020 Nashville arrest for public intoxication and disorderly conduct. —Shania Russell, EW.com, 28 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.