public nuisance
Britishnoun
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law an illegal act causing harm to members of a particular community rather than to any individual
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informal a person who is generally considered objectionable
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 South Coast Air Quality Management District received more than 4,900 odor complaints, “reporting persistent rotten, sour and garbage-like odors,” and issued the company 38 violation notices for public nuisance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Pritchard has previous convictions for harassment against another ex-husband in January 2025, and later that year was convicted of making a public nuisance or causing annoyance via a telecommunications system to a different police officer.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
The suit alleges public nuisance and unlawful business practices among the claims.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
A French teenager was fined in Singapore Thursday after pleading guilty to a public nuisance charge for a straw-licking stunt that landed him in hot water in the city state.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Not only that, but that I had also been charged with resisting arrest and public nuisance.
From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
