Monoglyceride is an amphiphilic molecule with promising antimicrobial 22 activity for bacteria; however, the key lethal effect in its antibacterial behavior was still 23 unknown. In the study, monobutyrate (MB), monolaurate (ML), monomyristate (MM) 24 were selected to represent the short, medium, and long chain monoglycerides to compare 25 their inhibitory effect against Escherichia coli, and a new dose-dependent inhibitory 26 mechanism was proposed by the key lethal effect. The minimal inhibitory concentration 27 and antibacterial curve showed a huge diversity existed in biology activity of MB, ML 28 and MM. The results in scanning electron microscopy and flow cytometry assay 29 indicated that the interference level of MB on cell membrane was obviously weaker than 30 that of ML and MM, while the latter two had similar performance in increasing cell 31 permeability at low doses. The results presented in UV-Vis spectroscopy, cell cycle and 32 biomacromolecules synthesis inhibition assay showed that the cell cycle of Escherichia 33 coli was obviously affected by three monoglycerides at doses near MIC, which was 34 therefore regarded as the key lethal effect. The reason for the better biological activity of 35 MM than ML was the stronger interference ability on bacterial cell cycle. In addition, an 36 expanded antibacterial mode was raised that cell permeability increase at low doses was 37 antimicrobial basis, cell cycle arrest at medium doses played the key lethal effect, and 38 cell lysis at high doses was the result of combined action. 39 40