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

Jacobs was arrested on May 26, 2026, in connection to a domestic dispute that occurred days earlier, leading to bookings for preliminary charges that included domestic abuse battery, disorderly conduct, and felony strangulation/suffocation. — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

Schmidt was charged with three misdemeanors, including second-degree terroristic threatening, disorderly conduct and attempting to influence a public servant, the report states. — Gabe White, Arkansas Online, 21 July 2026

After Olyphant shared that he’s never been arrested, Bateman, 57, launched into his own tale of disorderly conduct overseas. — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 21 July 2026

Andrade was arrested June 27 and charged with disorderly conduct and fleeing a police officer, according to online court records from the Tarrant County district clerk. — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 July 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.