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
Despite early reports of abuse, the district allegedly failed to act, allowing Yeh to continue his misconduct until his conviction on 17 felony counts of child molestation, according to the lawsuit.
—
Real-Time News Team, Miami Herald, 14 Mar. 2025
Peltier’s attorneys and supporters would wage a decades-long battle through appeals, writs and petitions to circuit courts, federal courts, the U.S. Supreme Court and three U.S. presidents, alleging numerous incidents of misconduct by the FBI in Peltier’s case.
—Tom White, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2025
The cutoff took place as Zeldin made multiple public appearances accusing Climate United and other groups of misconduct, eventually announcing that the funds were frozen, according to the lawsuit.
—Michael Phillis and Matthew Daly, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2025
Georgetown Law professor David Super told Newsweek that if there was evidence of misconduct the EPA should have given Climate United and other grantees notice and an opportunity to respond.
—Jeff Young, Newsweek, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misconduct
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show current usage.
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Real-Time News Team, Miami Herald, 14 Mar. 2025
Peltier’s attorneys and supporters would wage a decades-long battle through appeals, writs and petitions to circuit courts, federal courts, the U.S. Supreme Court and three U.S. presidents, alleging numerous incidents of misconduct by the FBI in Peltier’s case.
—Tom White, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2025
The cutoff took place as Zeldin made multiple public appearances accusing Climate United and other groups of misconduct, eventually announcing that the funds were frozen, according to the lawsuit.
—Michael Phillis and Matthew Daly, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2025
Georgetown Law professor David Super told Newsweek that if there was evidence of misconduct the EPA should have given Climate United and other grantees notice and an opportunity to respond.
—Jeff Young, Newsweek, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misconduct
Cite this Entry
“Misconduct.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misconduct. Accessed 20 Mar. 2025.
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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