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
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He was later arrested and charged with disrupting the operation of an aircraft and disorderly conduct which adversely affected airport security. Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026 Police arrested the pair on charges of burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal trespass, criminal tampering, possession of burglar's tools, disorderly conduct and other offenses. Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026 Both face multiple charges -- including burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal trespass, violation of a local law, criminal tampering, disorderly conduct and possession of burglar's tools -- according to police. Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 1 July 2026 They have each been charged with burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, violation of local law, possession of burglar's tools, criminal tampering, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct, according to sources. Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for disorderly conduct

Word History

First Known Use

1786, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of disorderly conduct was in 1786

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Cite this Entry

“Disorderly conduct.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disorderly%20conduct. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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.

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