lay off vs displace

lay off and displace both are verbs.

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

As verbs, displace is a hypernym of lay off; that is, displace is a word with a broader meaning than lay off:

Other hypernyms of lay off include can, dismiss, fire, force out, give notice, give the axe, give the sack, sack, send away, terminate.

lay off (verb)	displace (verb)
dismiss, usually for economic reasons	cause to move, usually with force or pressure
put an end to a state or an activity	cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense
	take the place of or have precedence over
	terminate the employment of; discharge from an office or position