misconduct

noun mis·con·duct \ -ˈkän-(ˌ)dəkt \

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

Examples: misconduct in a Sentence

Definition of misconduct

1 : mismanagement especially of governmental or military responsibilities

2 : intentional wrongdoing; specifically : deliberate violation of a law or standard especially by a government official : malfeasance

3 a : improper behavior

b : adultery

4 : a penalty (as in ice hockey) for improper behavior or abusive language (as toward an official)

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misconduct

play \-kən-ˈdəkt\ transitive verb

See misconduct defined for English-language learners

See misconduct defined for kids

Examples of misconduct in a Sentence

He was forced to defend himself against charges of sexual misconduct.
There have been reports of misconduct by several employees.

Recent Examples of misconduct from the Web

In the course of less than ten years, he was named as a defendant in four lawsuits filed by people alleging misconduct — he was cleared of wrongdoing in two, but settlements in the others have cost the city $250,000.

— ian duncan, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore Police detective suspended after judge orders him to give up gun in domestic violence case," 13 July 2018
The settlement is the latest instance in which the city has had to pay millions to end lawsuits alleging officer misconduct against minorities.

— ivan moreno, chicagotribune.com, "Milwaukee to pay $3.4 million over police stop-and-frisk policy," 11 July 2018
Soon after news broke of that scandal, the NBA launched a confidential hotline for employees to report workplace misconduct.

— katherine peralta, charlotteobserver, "‘That was then. This is now.’ David Tepper vows to fix Panthers’ workplace culture," 10 July 2018
Police Chief Samuel DiSimone told CBS Philadelphia last year that he was made aware of body camera footage that showed McWain’s alleged misconduct, sparking the monthslong probe.

— crystal hill, miamiherald, "A police officer was making drug arrests — and making money, New Jersey authorities say," 3 July 2018
One natural next step among them: a hotline to report workplace misconduct anonymously.

— kalyn kahler, SI.com, "What Does Fining Jerry Richardson Amount to?," 29 June 2018
Since The Times revealed the long history of complaints against Tyndall, more than 400 people have contacted a hotline for former patients to report misconduct.

— harriet ryan, latimes.com, "USC lawyer says secret deal with accused campus gynecologist 'worked efficiently'," 19 June 2018
In a response to the board’s order, Rabin denied any misconduct; he and his lawyer did not reply to the Globe’s requests for comment.

— felice j. freyer, BostonGlobe.com, "She accused her psychologist of sexual misconduct. The board found her credible, but he still has a license to practice.," 4 June 2018
Although people filing complaints have seen a transformation in the UC system for reporting misconduct and in how investigations are conducted, there has been little apparent change in what happens after tenured faculty are found to break the rules.

— nanette asimov, San Francisco Chronicle, "Report finds past harassment by UC professor, but punishment lags," 22 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'misconduct.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of misconduct

1705

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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misconduct Synonyms

Synonyms

malfeasance, misbehavior, misdoing, wrongdoing;

malpractice;

goings-on, hanky-panky;

familiarity, impropriety, indiscretion;

blunder, flub, fumble, goof, lapse, miscue, misstep, mistake, slip, slipup, stumble;

MISCONDUCT Defined for English Language Learners

misconduct

noun

Definition of misconduct for English Language Learners

: wrong behavior : behavior or activity that is illegal or morally wrong

MISCONDUCT Defined for Kids

misconduct

noun mis·con·duct \ mis-ˈkän-ˌdəkt \

Definition of misconduct for Students

: bad behavior

Law Dictionary

misconduct

noun mis·con·duct \ mis-ˈkän-dəkt \

legal Definition of misconduct

: intentional or wanton wrongful but usually not criminal behavior: as

a : deliberate or wanton violation of standards of conduct by a government official

b : wrongful behavior (as adultery) by a spouse that leads to the dissolution of the marriage

c : an attorney's violation of the standards set for professional conduct; also : an attorney's and especially a prosecutor's use of deceptive or reprehensible methods in presenting a case to a jury

d : impermissible behavior by a juror (as communicating about the case with outsiders, witnesses, or others, reading or hearing news reports about the case, or independently introducing evidence to other jurors)

e : an employee's deliberate or wanton disregard of an employer's interests or disregard or violation of the employer's standards or rules that is sufficient to justify a denial of unemployment compensation