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

Hernandez said the student admitted to making threats of violence against the school as part of a dare and was later booked into the Durango Juvenile Detention Center on one count of making a terroristic threat, a felony, and disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor. —Perry Vandell, The Arizona Republic, 10 Sep. 2024

Whitewater police have requested charges from the District Attorney's office of first-degree intentional homicide, endangering safety by the use of a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct while armed. —David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 5 Sep. 2024

Records show Davis was charged with disorderly conduct after a round of looting and rioting in the downtown area in August 2020. —Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 4 Sep. 2024

Statistic of the week: One year That’s how long former University of Kentucky student Sophia Rosing faces in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of misdemeanor assault, as well as disorderly conduct and public intoxication this week. —Will Carless, USA TODAY, 17 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.