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

When the police visited Parker’s home to speak with him, Parker refused to open his door, yelled at an officer and was issued a $195 fine for disorderly conduct, the complaint states. —Tamia Fowlkes, Journal Sentinel, 21 Oct. 2024

In August, Rosing pleaded guilty to four counts of fourth-degree assault, one count of disorderly conduct and one count of alcohol intoxication, PEOPLE previously reported. —Kc Baker, People.com, 21 Oct. 2024

Sophia Rosing, 23, of Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, pleaded guilty Aug. 12 to four counts of misdemeanor assault, as well as disorderly conduct and public intoxication, Fayette County Commonwealth's Attorney Kimberly Baird said. —Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 18 Oct. 2024

White joined the Gophers but left the University of Minnesota just months into his first semester after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct and theft in connection to an incident at Mall of America. —Stephen Swanson, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2024

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.