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public nuisance

British

noun

law an illegal act causing harm to members of a particular community rather than to any individual
informal a person who is generally considered objectionable

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

They accused the oil companies of creating a public nuisance by altering the environment and leaving the county to pay to abate growing hazards such as the flooding that tests roads and bridges.

From Salon • Apr. 10, 2026

In early November, the city filed suit against Quirky, asking a judge to declare the bookstore a public nuisance.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

A public nuisance is anything that interferes with the rights of the public - but in environmental cases, it generally refers to something that would interfere with the health and safety of a community.

From BBC • Feb. 13, 2026

Ashley St. Clair sued Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company on Thursday, alleging that its Grok chatbot is “unreasonably dangerous as designed” and constitutes a public nuisance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 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