misconduct
noun
mis·con·duct
ˌmis-ˈkän-(ˌ)dəkt 
1
: mismanagement especially of governmental or military responsibilities
2
: intentional wrongdoing
specifically
: deliberate violation of a law or standard especially by a government official : malfeasance
3
a
: improper behavior
b
: adultery
4
: a penalty (as in ice hockey) for improper behavior or abusive language (as toward an official)
Examples of misconduct in a Sentence
He was forced to defend himself against charges of sexual misconduct.
There have been reports of misconduct by several employees.
Recent Examples on the Web
The city’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), which investigates allegations of police misconduct, a few days ago released the bodycam footage of the incident.
—
Becket Adams, National Review, 14 Apr. 2024
The sheer scale of Lan’s misconduct has rattled the public in a country that has long projected an image of authoritarian stability, analysts say — and raised alarm among foreign investors, a key driver of Vietnam’s booming economy.
—Heather Chen, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
The criminal case sparked debates on race, gender, domestic abuse, celebrity justice and police misconduct.
—Ken Ritter, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024
Reed, 26, was killed that same day, when tactical-unit police officers fired 96 bullets at him within 41 seconds, according to Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability, or COPA, which investigates allegations of police misconduct and police shootings.
—Jennifer Hassan, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
The retractions and new allegations add to a larger, ongoing debate about how to protect scientific integrity and reduce incentives that could lead to misconduct or unintentional mistakes in research.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2024
Sharks defenseman Calen Addison was given a 10-minute misconduct for the second straight game.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2024
Shortly after, a gunman appeared to fire a single round from the roof of one of the trucks, according to Maj. Gen. Yoav Har-Even, a reserve officer who oversees the military’s investigations into potential cases of wartime misconduct.
—Adam Rasgon, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
According to the former chief, who retired at the end of February, the church had accused LAPD detectives and prosecutors on the Masterson case of misconduct.
—James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Becket Adams, National Review, 14 Apr. 2024
The sheer scale of Lan’s misconduct has rattled the public in a country that has long projected an image of authoritarian stability, analysts say — and raised alarm among foreign investors, a key driver of Vietnam’s booming economy.
—Heather Chen, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
The criminal case sparked debates on race, gender, domestic abuse, celebrity justice and police misconduct.
—Ken Ritter, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024
Reed, 26, was killed that same day, when tactical-unit police officers fired 96 bullets at him within 41 seconds, according to Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability, or COPA, which investigates allegations of police misconduct and police shootings.
—Jennifer Hassan, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
The retractions and new allegations add to a larger, ongoing debate about how to protect scientific integrity and reduce incentives that could lead to misconduct or unintentional mistakes in research.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2024
Sharks defenseman Calen Addison was given a 10-minute misconduct for the second straight game.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2024
Shortly after, a gunman appeared to fire a single round from the roof of one of the trucks, according to Maj. Gen. Yoav Har-Even, a reserve officer who oversees the military’s investigations into potential cases of wartime misconduct.
—Adam Rasgon, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
According to the former chief, who retired at the end of February, the church had accused LAPD detectives and prosecutors on the Masterson case of misconduct.
—James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'misconduct.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near misconduct
Cite this Entry
“Misconduct.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misconduct. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
misconduct
noun
mis·con·duct
(ˈ)mis-ˈkän-(ˌ)dəkt
1
: bad management
2
: improper or unlawful behavior
Legal Definition
misconduct
noun
mis·con·duct
mis-ˈkän-dəkt
: intentional or wanton wrongful but usually not criminal behavior: as
a
: deliberate or wanton violation of standards of conduct by a government official
b
: wrongful behavior (as adultery) by a spouse that leads to the dissolution of the marriage
c
: an attorney's violation of the standards set for professional conduct
also
: an attorney's and especially a prosecutor's use of deceptive or reprehensible methods in presenting a case to a jury
d
: impermissible behavior by a juror (as communicating about the case with outsiders, witnesses, or others, reading or hearing news reports about the case, or independently introducing evidence to other jurors)
e
: an employee's deliberate or wanton disregard of an employer's interests or disregard or violation of the employer's standards or rules that is sufficient to justify a denial of unemployment compensation
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