discontinue vs lay off

discontinue and lay off both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
discontinue	No	No	Yes	No
lay off	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, discontinue and lay off are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of discontinue include cease, give up, quit, stop.

discontinue (verb)	lay off (verb)
prevent completion	dismiss, usually for economic reasons
put an end to a state or an activity	put an end to a state or an activity
come to or be at an end