A shrimp is a small, ten-legged aquatic crustacean with a slender, elongated body, a thin exoskeleton, long antennae, and a fan-like tail, prized as seafood for its sweet flavor and found globally in saltwater and freshwater.

Shrimp are characterized by a semitransparent body flattened from side to side and a flexible abdomen terminating in a fanlike tail. The appendages are modified for swimming, and the antennae are long and whiplike. Shrimp occur in all oceans—in shallow and deep water—and in freshwater lakes and streams. Many species are commercially important as food. Shrimp range in length from a few millimetres to more than 20 cm (about 8 inches); average size is about 4 to 8 cm (1.5 to 3 inches). Larger individuals are often called prawns.

Shrimp swim backward by rapidly flexing the abdomen and tail. Their food consists mostly of small plants and animals, although some shrimp feed on carrion. The female shrimp may lay from 1,500 to 14,000 eggs, which are attached to the swimming legs. The swimming larvae pass through five developmental stages before becoming juveniles.