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 originally charged with disorderly conduct — a misdemeanor — and three counts of felony reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon. —Tracy Wright, Fox News, 28 Jan. 2025

The officer, Jeffrey Nelson, was found guilty of second-degree murder and first-degree assault in June for shooting and killing Jesse Sarey, 26, while attempting to arrest him for disorderly conduct in May 2019 outside Sunshine Grocery in Auburn. —Sara Ruberg, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025

The tasing happened during a disorderly conduct incident in January 2024, according to the Maui Police Department, which fired Frate earlier this year after 14 years of service. —Sara Schilling, Sacramento Bee, 22 Jan. 2025

Grady Douglas Owens: Convicted of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers and disorderly conduct. —Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1786, in the meaning defined above

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.