| Year: | 1940 |
| Team: | Tulane Green Wave |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Southeastern Conference |
| Short Conf: | SEC |
| Record: | 5–5 |
| Conf Record: | 1–3 |
| Head Coach: | Red Dawson |
| Hc Year: | 5th |
| Captain: | Claude Groves, Tommy O'Boyle |
| Stadium: | Tulane Stadium |
The 1940 Tulane Green Wave football team represented Tulane University as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1940 college football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Red Dawson, the Green Wave played their home games at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. Tulane finished the season with an overall record of 5–5 and a mark of 1–3 in conference play, placing tenth in the SEC.
Tulane was ranked at No. 28 (out of 697 college football teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score system for 1940.[1]