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public nuisance

British  

noun

  1. law an illegal act causing harm to members of a particular community rather than to any individual

  2. 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.

Public nuisance claims drive some 3,000 lawsuits brought by state and local governments against drugmakers, distribution companies and pharmacies.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 26, 2022

Public nuisance law has evolved to cover a large, miscellaneous group of offenses against the community at large — a loud party disturbing a quiet neighborhood or a factory’s foul odor enveloping a city.

From Washington Post • Nov. 9, 2021

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.