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

The student was charged with disorderly conduct and appeared in juvenile court. —Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2025

The Philadelphia Police Department issued thirty-one citations for disorderly conduct and failure to disperse during the celebrations, and two individuals were arrested for assaulting officers. —Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025

In total, 31 people were issued citations for disorderly conduct or failure to disperse, police said. —Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 27 Jan. 2025

He has been convicted of disorderly conduct, larceny and robbery, according to the court document. —Eric Levenson, CNN, 5 Feb. 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.