misconduct

Everyday

1. (formal) Misconduct is bad or wrong behaviour, especially by a person at work or in a responsible job who breaks the rules. tree →
2. (law, work) Gross misconduct is very serious wrong behaviour, such as stealing or violence at work, that can get someone sacked at once. tree →

In the lessons

In adult life, a worker can be dismissed for misconduct (that is not redundancy, which is not their fault). In sport, a player may be fined or banned for misconduct. In school, behaviour policies may use "misconduct" for serious rule-breaking. Phrases: gross misconduct, professional misconduct, accused of misconduct, sacked for misconduct.

Examples

• The footballer was banned for misconduct. tree →
• The worker lost his job for gross misconduct after stealing money. tree →
• The doctor was investigated for professional misconduct. tree →
• Cheating in the exam counts as misconduct. tree →
• The club fined the player for misconduct towards the referee. tree →
• Misconduct is when someone breaks the rules of their job. tree →

Note

Uncountable, formal. Prefix mis- means "badly or wrongly" (misbehave, mistake, misspell). Everyday words: bad behaviour, wrongdoing. Say "mis-KON-dukt".