Blended learning is emerging as the model of choice in higher education. However, adult learners face unique challenges in participating in higher education. Redefinition of blended learning from the experience of adult learners is essential to developing a theory of blended learning suited to the needs of adult learners. This phenomenographic study describes the variation in adult learners' experiences of blended learning in higher education. Findings indicate that adult learners experience blended learning in different ways and attribute different meanings to the phenomenon based on critical aspects of their experiences. Variation in experiences can be grouped into three patterns representative of the different meanings adult learners ascribe to blended learning: Supplementary Learning, Interdependent Learning and Adaptable Learning.