From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlay something barelay something barea) COVERto uncover something that was previously hidden When the river is low, vast stretches of sand are laid bare. b) TELL A SECRETto make known something that was secret historical writing which seeks to lay bare the true nature of an event → bare
Examples from the Corpus
lay something bare• The depth of the problem is laid bare in the fact that 40% of 18- to 25- year-olds are unemployed.• The excavation laid bare the streets of the ancient city. 