disorderly house
Americannoun
-
a house of prostitution; brothel.
-
a gambling place.
noun
Etymology
Origin of disorderly house
First recorded in 1800–10
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Boston College biology student said he wasn’t even present at the party that resulted in noise complaints and disorderly house charges against him and a dozen others.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
On Jan. 1, 1896, William Dorsey Swann was charged with keeping a disorderly house at 1504 L St. NW.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 20, 2023
A young man, a Lehigh University student, eventually stepped forward and Lamana cited him for violating the city’s disorderly house ordinance.
From Washington Times ● May 13, 2017
In 1901, a reform group called the Committee of Fifteen raided Alderman Fleck’s establishment and charged him with maintaining a disorderly house.
From New York Times ● Mar. 12, 2010
She too had been discharged, and she had ended in a disorderly house, and had died in the hospital before reaching the age of twenty.
From What to Do? by Isabel Florence Hapgood
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
